


Liberation from The Oblivion

by FranticWraith



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Pre-The Hobbit, Pre-War of the Ring, Romance, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Swearing, idiot drug dealers, moderately cliche, not particularly realistic, this is for entertainment purposes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 71,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24077932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FranticWraith/pseuds/FranticWraith
Summary: Ruby was an underground street fighter—not a profession that she would have expected for herself, but life can be strange. She definitely hadn’t expected to stumble upon a shipment of drugs after she finished her fight that night. To be fair, the guys that had been shipping the drugs really hadn’t expected her to be there either.Basically, Ruby gets into a nasty situation which leads to her appearance in Middle-Earth and then she meets a certain scowl-y elf.Somewhat cliche. Read at your own risk.
Relationships: Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Erestor (Tolkien)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 95
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

Sweat dripped down her back as Ruby rolled her shoulders. Her opponent was tiring, but he had managed to land a few good blows to her left side. The twinge of pain she felt suggested that he might have cracked one of her ribs or at least gave her one hell of a bruise. She needed to end this soon. Ruby was favoring her right side and she could tell by the man’s smirk that he knew it too. She ground her teeth together as she swung her right fist—anticipating his block—then threw her whole body into an uppercut with her left hand.

Agony shot through her side, but she ignored it. Ruby quickly landed a swift kick to the man’s bloodied face—knocking him out. She stumbled back to the other side of the crude ring as the crowd hollered with blood-lust, her side throbbing as she panted. They chanted and screamed her alias as she raised her tired arms up in victory, a wicked grin sliding smoothly onto her face.

“HEART-LESS! HEART-LESS! HEART-LESS!” Ruby never really liked her name, but it fit her reputation. She had started fighting when she was seventeen and had clawed tooth and nail to get to where she was now a decade later. She wasn’t proud of all the brutal things she had done, but she didn’t regret them.

She let herself get tugged out of the ring and jostled through the crowd to a dressing room by Hank Kramer, her manager. Manager was a term that loosely fit the description of Hank. He was her trainer and substitute family; he was the reason she wasn’t begging for money on the street. Hank was the one who scheduled all her fights in the Underneath—the best underground fighting ring in San Diego.

Hank was a cruel and merciless creature. He had a way of smiling that made you shiver, and he was built like a rhinoceros. It was impossible to like his sadistic personality, but he was what Ruby had needed to survive.

He had made her into a weapon, a force to be reckoned with. She was his number one fighter and she had made it through plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. She had the muscles of a body builder and the skill of an MMA fighter. All of which she had worked her ass off for.

“What have I told you about letting your guard slip, Brooks!” Hank growled as he threw her onto a rickety wooden chair. Ruby let herself fall, too exhausted from her fight to protest. “It’s not hard! Even the new rookie could have done better than that. You have a fight on Friday, and you’ll be fighting, fractured rib or not.”

“Yes, sir.” Ruby let her stony determination take over her expression. Hank didn’t like it when she showed weakness.

“Shower and change.” Hank went to the door. “Be in the car in thirty minutes or you can walk.”

Ruby sighed as he left. She didn’t want to hate Hank, but he didn’t make it easy. Nothing with Hank was ever easy. She slowly peeled off her hand wrappings, her sweaty sports bra and shorts followed.

Ruby eyed the blackening splotch on the left side of her rib-cage and winced. It would take a while to fade, that she was sure of. It went with the other marks that marred her skin. The red and white scars, the faded bruises, and the scabbed over scrapes and cuts she had gotten from training or vicious competitors. Her body was a mess.

After a short, cold shower, Ruby felt less tired. She even managed to braid her dark hair, even though pain shot through her side when she lifted her left arm above her head. She had donned on a clean black sports bra, a plain hoodie, some baggy cargo pants, and her running shoes. She stuffed the rest of her things in her duffle bag and slung it over her right shoulder.

By the time she was ready, Ruby realized that she was cutting it close. She probably had less than five minutes before Hank deserted her ass.

Ruby left the dressing room and jogged down the hallway to the back of the building. Hank always waited at the back door in his black mustang and he was never the patient type.

She made it to the loading docks in under two minutes but noticed that they weren’t as empty as they normally would be around this time of night. There was a truck that was empty, and a bunch of crates stacked all over the place, as if someone had unloaded them or was about to load them into the empty truck. Surprisingly, there was no one there moving the crates or watching them, which seemed odd to her.

Ruby wasn’t stupid, it was about one in the morning. Any sort of business that was going on at this time, in this neighborhood, was definitely something she did not want to get involved with. She could turn around and pretend she never saw anything, but she wouldn’t make it to Hank before he would leave if she went all the way to the front door. Her other option was to quietly sneak out the back and hope that no one saw her.

Ruby was not in the mood to walk home; she was tired, and the left side of her chest ached. That left her with option two, so Ruby quietly crept to the exit after she double checked that there wasn’t anyone around. She made it halfway to the door when she heard voices.

In a panic, Ruby was going to rush the last ten feet, but if she could hear them, they would hear the door shut. It would most likely result in them chasing her or searching the security footage to figure out who she was. She bit her lip as she looked to where the voices were coming from and then back to the door with indecision. She could visibly see the shadows of two people at the main entrance of the loading dock, she needed to do something and fast.

_Shit!_ Ruby hurriedly crouched behind some crates. The voice grew louder until she could finally make out what they were saying.

“…damn it Joe! How many times do I have to tell you that you’re supposed to wait until two before you start unloading!” A rough voice shouted.

“My bad, boss.” Was the squeaky reply.

“‘Your bad,’ Fuck yeah it’s ‘ _your bad!_ ’” The first voice shouted louder, more enraged. The man was extremely fed up from the sound of it. “Some one could see you, idiot. The last fight only ended half an hour ago and it takes a while for the stragglers to clear out. Then I’d have a witness that would need taking care of.” Well, that didn’t bode well for Ruby. In fact, she was starting to sweat nervously in her hiding place. “Now hurry up!”

They were most likely shipping drugs. Ruby didn’t really care for the drug dealing profession, but she knew enough to know that you really shouldn’t meddle with it unless you want a one-way ticket to an early grave.

It wasn’t long before she heard some shuffling then grunts and the sound of a crate scraping against the floor. They could have at least gotten a dolly to help move the things, it would be way more efficient. Ruby would have rolled her eyes if she hadn’t been trying so hard not to freak out.

Ruby attempted to make an escape plan, but time was ticking away, and she was crumbling under the pressure. She had maybe one minute before Hank left, and she would be found hiding eventually since they were moving the crates. She had to do something, but what?

Ruby looked around her, she was kneeling on a cement floor, her back pressed against two wooden crates. A fluorescent light flickered slightly above her, and her duffle bag was wedged between her body and the crate behind her. Ruby was also starting sweating like a flabby old lady in a sauna. She was about ten feet away from salvation, but she couldn’t make a break for it without being seen or heard. Ruby had no idea what to do.

To make matters worse, she could hear the steps of someone approaching her hiding place only to stop what sounded like only a few feet away. Ruby held her breath and waited for her discovery or for them to turn and leave. Either way, Hank would have left by now, so she was stranded here. If only she could get to her phone buried in her bag, maybe she could call for someone to come and make a distraction or something… _anything!_

Ruby heard a slight shuffle come from directly behind the crates she was hiding behind and sprung into action without thinking. She stood up as fast as she could and whipped her duffle bag over the top of the crates into the face of the man that had been lurking. There was a surprised shout, but Ruby was more focused on making a break for the door. She would have to worry about the complications that came with her actions later, right now, all she wanted to do was get the fuck out of there. Fast.

She totally would have too, if her stupid-ass duffle bag hadn’t gotten caught on the top crate and knocked it over and dragged her to the ground with it. Ruby coughed as a cloud of white powder filled the air around her—she had been right about the drugs it seemed.

She held her breath as best she could as she got up from the ground, only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun. Ruby swallowed hard as she met the furious gaze of a man who bore a twisted smile that made Ruby’s stomach churn unpleasantly. The left side of his tanned face was turning red from where her bag had hit him, and some strands of his platinum blond hair were falling out of his man-bun—probably a surfer.

“What do we have here?” The man chuckled and used the hand that wasn’t holding the gun to caress Ruby’s cheek creepily. She batted it away and glared at him with her ‘Heartless’ face, finding a smidgen of joy when he faltered for a split second.

“Looks like a girl, boss.” The squeaky voice responded. Ruby looked passed the surfer dude to see a small, stout man that was slightly pudgy in the face.

“Shut up, Joe! It was rhetorical, idiot.” The surfer growled, not taking his eyes off Ruby. “Trying to steal some of the goods, huh. Well, nobody steals from Mick Landon and gets away with it!”

“I don’t want any of it! I was just trying to leave.” Ruby defended.

“What?” Mick obviously had no clue and Ruby had to forcibly stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“She said she was just trying to leave, boss.” Joe repeated helpfully-ish.

“I heard!” Mick yelled angrily. “She’s got to be lying! The sneaky bitch was going to steal from me, I know it.”

“No, really! I was just trying to leave that’s all.” Ruby reiterated. “If you let me go, I promise I won’t say anything either.”

“Seems reasonable, boss.” Joe shrugged.

“Exactly.” Ruby nodded at Joe, but Mick didn’t seem convinced.

“But…but look what she did!” He waved the gun at the knocked over crate and the dusting of powder that coated Ruby and the floor. “That’s going to put a dent in our profits! She’s going to have to pay for that and I doubt she has enough dough to cover it.” He pointed the gun back in her direction fiercely and Ruby put her hands up in a placating gesture.

“Look, I’ll be good for it! You were at the fight tonight, right?” Ruby waited until she got a nod from both Mick and Joe before continuing. “I’m Heartless! I have loads of money. I’ll give you as much as this crate costs and I’ll throw in an extra thousand if you let me go, deal?” Ruby thought that was a very generous offer, Mick would be stupid not to take it.

“Sounds good, boss.” Joe agreed with her.

“We can’t just let her go! She knows too much.” Mick smiled again.

“Hold on a second, bud.” Ruby glared at him. “That’s on you. You’re the one who just said your name with like, zero prompting on my part.” Mick frowned and glared at Ruby.

“She makes a point, boss.” Joe agreed with her again, earning him a glare from Mick as well.

“She still knows it, so she can’t just leave!” Mick tried to defend his decision.

“I already said that I wouldn’t tell anyone! What would I get out of telling someone? I have no interest in your business.” Ruby was starting to get the impression that Mick just really wanted to kill someone and was grasping for any kind of justification.

“We can’t just take your word for it and besides, killing you would be a good message to send to let everyone know not to mess with Mick Landon!”

“If you send that message, _everyone_ will know who you are.” Ruby pointed out, rolling her eyes. At this point, if she really did get killed by these guys, it would be fucking embarrassing.

“She’s right again, boss.”

“Shut up, Joe!”

“Don’t listen to him, Joe. At least you can see reason when it’s blatantly obvious.” Ruby grinned. “Why do you do what he says anyways? Business would probably increase if you were running things instead.”

“He’s my older step-brother, Miss Heartless.” Joe smiled at her sheepishly.

“You should do something better with your life, Joe. You shouldn’t just do whatever he tells you.” Joe was kind of growing on her. It helped that he wasn’t holding a gun in her face and suggesting that they kill her.

“Shut up you stupid bitch! He is loyal like any good brother should be and we’re going to kill you because I said so, right Joe?” Mick stared smugly at Ruby as he tightened his grip on the gun pointed at her face.

“No.” Joe squeaked defiantly, puffing up his chest.

“W—what?” Mick spluttered indignantly and Ruby smiled smugly.

“She’s right! I’m not going to go along with your dumb schemes anymore!” Joe shouted and stomped forward until he stood next to Mick, his face reddening with anger. “I am going to fulfill my dream of becoming a turtle veterinarian.”

“How many time do I have to tell you that ‘turtle veterinarian’ is not an actual occupation?!” Mick turned his head and shouted in Joe’s face.

“Fuck off! Let the boy be what he wants.” Ruby defended. Who the hell was he to tell Joe what he could and couldn’t be? “At least he is original! Do you know how many drug dealers and suppliers are out there?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“No! For once in your life, Mick, _you_ shut up!” Joe shoved Micks chest with his hands, but the poor boy was small, and Mick didn’t budge. It only made Mick more enraged and he took the gun and back-handed Joe across the face with it. Hard. Ruby could have sworn that she heard something crack.

Joe crumpled to the floor and Ruby winced. That would hurt like a bitch when he woke up, he probably had a major concussion. Poor thing, he would probably have to deal with Mick after this as well.

“Now, your turn!” Mick turned the gun back to her and Ruby launched herself at him. Landing a punch to his wrist, sending the gun flying across the room. “Fucking bitch!”

Mick pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket and Ruby twisted to the side to dodge as he slashed at her—aggravating her ribs. She cried out in pain and clutched her left side. Mick smirked at her and starting purposefully attacking her left, which she couldn’t defend properly given her injury. The prick.

Ruby was still tired and sore from her previous fight and as a result, she wasn’t moving as fast as she needed to be. Mick was an idiot, she knew that as a fact, but she definitely underestimated his fighting skills. He wasn’t nearly as skilled as she was, but he made up for it in speed and relentless, erratic attacks. There was no way Ruby would be able to block all of his fists and the blade, it was only a matter of time before he began to land them.

“Feeling tired?” Mick gave her another twisted grin as he managed to land a solid punch to her left side, making Ruby drop to her knees with a gasp. He quickly got behind her and tugged her braid, pressing the cool metal blade to her exposed throat. Ruby froze.

It was a strange feeling to know her life was about to end. She had hoped it would have been a little more dignified than at the hands of an idiot. Fuck this could not be the end, she had so much she still needed to do with her life. She couldn’t be killed by fucking Mick of all people.

“Now you’re going to die, bitch.” He whispered in her ear, his hot breath caressing her cheek. Then he dug the knife into the base of her throat and slowly cut into the flesh of her neck and Ruby choked. The hot blood filled her mouth and spilled down the front of her as she tried to breath but couldn’t. The pain was agonizing as she struggled against him, clawing at his arms until hers fell limply to the floor.

Once he had cut from left to right, he let her body fall to the ground. Ruby heard the distant sound of laughter as the world faded.

Then, she drifted away into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby gasped a shuddering breath as she slowly came around. Her senses were immediately assaulted with the strong smell of pine and dirt. She blinked her eyes slowly, only to be met with impenetrable blackness. She lifted her hand to her face with a groan only to have it collide with a hard surface above her.

 _What the fuck?_ Ruby pressed both her hands to the rough surface and pushed. Nothing. She felt panic rise in her chest as she tried to push to the side, only to have the same result. She began to hyperventilate as the truth of the situation became clear.

She had been buried alive.

Ruby began pound her fists into the wooden surface, clawing at it with her nails until they bled. She screamed and screamed, but she had no way of knowing if anyone could hear her cries. Fear consumed her and she became hysterical.

Ruby eventually calmed down when her hands were bloodied, and her voice was raw. She choked on her sobs of despair as hopelessness began to grip her. She had never felt so weak and helpless as she did now. She was trapped.

The air was thinner and left Ruby gasping. She wasn’t going to go out like this, not without a fight. She let her stony determination encompass her and then she lashed out. Fist after fist, she punched the wood, the pain in her hands letting her know that she was still alive.

Ruby continued to throw her fists at the wood even when it cracked and splintered. She tucked her face into her hoodie as the dirt began to pour in. She punched at the hole she had made until it was large enough for her to wriggle through.

Ruby held what little breath she had as she clawed through the dirt that pressed against her body and broke through the surface, gasping for air and grinning in triumph. She dug her throbbing fingers into the grass and heaved her body out of the hole until she was fully free. She managed to roll onto her back after she coughed and sneezed the dirt out of her sinuses.

Ruby laid there for a very long time, allowing the fresh air to soothe her frantic heart. Where the hell was she and how the hell had she ended up here?

Ruby looked around only to see trees, trees, and more fucking trees. She tried to remember how she had gotten there, but the more she thought about it, the less clear things got.

She had barely won a fight, and Hank tore her a new one for dropping her guard, she showered and then…nothing. What the hell had happened? Ruby pressed her fingers to her ribs and prodded gently only to find that the skin wasn’t even tender. It was as if her side hadn’t been injured, or she had healed remarkable fast, or worse, a large chunk of time had passed since the fight and she couldn’t remember a damn thing.

Ruby sat up slowly and coughed more dirt out of her lungs. She eventually made it to her knees and then to her feet. Her leg muscles protested which further solidified the theory that a long time had passed, and she hadn’t used her legs in a while.

Ruby eased herself into some different stretches until she was able to move all her limbs with a bit more ease. She then checked the pockets of the cargo pants and her hoodie—which she took note that were the same ones that she had on when she changed after her fight—for her phone, but she already knew she wouldn’t find it because she had put it in her duffle bag, but she thought it was necessary to check just in case.

Whoever had buried her in that coffin in the ground had obviously no been courteous enough to burry her bag with her. Inconsiderate asshole. Ruby tried to brush some of the dirt from her clothes, but it was a losing battle. There would be dirt in every nook and cranny until she could wash properly. She sighed in frustration. Though, it seemed that there was a huge reddish-brown stain on the front of sweater and Ruby was almost certain it was blood. No wonder someone had thought she was dead. That was a huge amount of blood that Ruby had no idea who or what it had come from. What the fuck had happened after that fight?

Ruby tore some strips from the bottom of her pants and used then to wrap her split knuckles. The wooden coffin had really done a number on her hands. She really needed to wash the cuts, but it’s not like she had anything to do that with. She winced as the dirty cloth pressed on the lacerations, causing them to sting more. Her hands were also bruising quite terribly, it wouldn’t surprise her if she had broken something or at least bruised the bone.

The next order of business would be to find civilization because she would not last long on her own in a forest. She wasn’t a girl scout; she didn’t have outdoor survival skills or any cookies. She would fucking starve if dehydration didn’t get her first.

Ruby looked at the sun in the sky but had no idea if it was rising or setting, not that knowing which way was east would really help her because she had zero clue as to where she was. She might not even be in the same country. So, Ruby picked an arbitrary direction and began to walk.

And she walked, and walked, and then there was more walking, which Ruby decided was getting old very quickly. It wasn’t like the scenery was interesting either. There was a tree and then another slightly different tree. Maybe a rock or two. The quiet of the forest was leaving her with only her thoughts to occupy her attention. Ruby thought she was beginning to remember some of what happened, but it must have been some sort of nightmare because it wasn’t making any sense. Unconsciously, Ruby rubbed her throat through the fabric of her sweater.

She was about to start counting her steps to distract herself when she heard it. There was the faint sound of shouting and metal clanking in the distance.

Ruby made the decision to go investigate. Honestly, it was a tough choice. She really wanted company or maybe a phone to call someone, but the noises that she could hear sounded unmistakably like a fight.

As she drew closer, the next thing she noticed was the stench. It was like a combination of her old gym socks and rot. Ruby let herself gag once before peeking through a bush she crouched behind.

It was a fight alright, but not like anything she had ever seen before. There were three men with swords, and one had a bow strapped to his back and they were up against, well, Ruby wasn’t even sure what they were. They had dark mottled skin and greasy matted hair with large mishappen ears that seemed to curve into a point. There were at least ten and they all were covered in gruesome scars and makeshift metal plating.

The three men seemed to be holding their own, despite being outnumbered. One had a large slice on his right leg, but he was still standing. The other two were definitely having to compensate for their injured companion. Ruby saw how they had switched to defensive as the creatures pushed harder. They were losing.

Ruby had never been in a sword fight before, but she had witnessed at least one in the Underneath. It had been pretty epic, but this was just brutal. The creatures were obviously aiming to kill the men and vice versa. In the Underneath, the aim was to knockout you opponent after maiming them for entertainment’s sake. Sure, some people got killed, but it was fairly rare.

Ruby, herself, had killed before when she had less experience but enough training to be lethal. She never thought of herself as a killer, but she knew she was very capable of being one. Looking at these creatures, the way they moved, the way they laughed at the men as one of them got cut, Ruby felt a cold pit of certainty form in her stomach. She knew what needed to be done.

She watched as one of the creatures fell, a stab wound through its side under its chest plate. It seemed to wake Ruby from her thoughts and spur her into action. She quietly circled to the creature’s backs and then sprung.

She hooked her right hand around one’s face, grabbing its chin, and cupped the back of its head with her left. She gave a sharp twist, snapping its neck with a sickening crunch before it even knew what was happening. It was kind of a relief in a way because she was half afraid that her hands would’ve passed through it like it was some sort of illusion.

Ruby let the body fall, turning sharply to the left as a sword swung at her. Apparently, the creatures didn’t like that she had killed one of them. Ruby didn’t have time to gauge the expressions of the three men because she was busy with two of the creatures who decided to try and take care of her.

Ruby dodged again as creature one slashed at her again, yelling strange sounds that seemed to be words. She retaliated by kicking him in the side of the knee. Hard. Creature one collapsed to his knees with a grunt and Ruby planted a solid right hook to its face. She winced as her bruised hand throbbed in agony like she had just punched her way out of a wooden box, which she had. The second creature jabbed its sword at her chest, but Ruby twisted her body out of the way and hooked her right arm under its wrist, she then shoved above its elbow with her left arm hard enough to snap its muscles and bones. The creature squealed and dropped its weapon, its arm dangling uselessly at its side.

Ruby quickly brought her fists up to her face defensively as she creature charged at her. She sent a quick jab to its face—reigniting the pain in her hand—causing it to recoil. The creature was obviously not used to fighting without its sword. It left a lot of gaps open for her to hit. Ruby almost laughed at how easy it was to bring the creature down with a roundhouse kick to its temple.

All of a sudden, she was grabbed from behind. A sweaty arm wrapped around her throat and lifted her off her feet. Ruby almost gagged at the stench that assaulted her nose, this creature had obviously never heard of a shower.

When her feet returned to the ground firmly, Ruby threw her hips back and leaned forward with enough force to throw the creature over her and onto the ground. It spluttered, gasping for the air she had knocked out if its lungs as it laid there on the ground. Ruby didn’t let it recover, she quickly stomped on its face.

She readied herself for another attack but was surprised to find that the three men had taken care of the other five creatures. One of the men gripped his bloodied sword, holding it loosely at his side, but tight enough that Ruby knew he was ready for her if she tried to make a move. The injured man was seated on the ground with the other one tending to the cut on his leg.

“We thank you for your help, sir.” The man spoke politely, but the was an edge to his voice. “I ask for the name of the one who would be brave enough to fight Orcs weaponless.”

Ruby stood there speechless as she took in some important information. First, _sir?_ He thought she was a _sir_? Well, she couldn’t really blame him. Ruby was caked in dirt, she had fairly broad shoulders, and she was pretty built. It didn’t help that she had small tits that were currently hiding behind her hoodie.

She also noticed that he spoke in a weird manner—very old-fashioned. The three men were also dressed in something straight out of a renaissance fair. They all had long hair, beards or at least scruff, and wore leather clothes with cloaks. It was probably for the best if they assumed that she was a man too.

Ruby cleared her throat loudly and tried to brush some of the dirt off her clothes in vain. “The name’s Ruby.” She said somewhat manly-ish.

“Where do you hail from, Ruby?” He questioned.

“I believe that it’s only fair that you tell me your names in return.” She had a feeling in her gut that San Diego would not be well received. The man seemed to consider her statement before he answered.

“That is Remnad, Cern, and I am Gerrolt. We are rangers on the North.” Ruby took mental note of who was who. “Now, where do you hail from? There is no settlements of man for leagues.” That didn’t sound promising.

“I am from the West.” Ruby tried to smile convincingly; she had no idea if she was succeeding. By the looks of the creatures that she couldn’t identify or the oddly old-fashioned men, Ruby didn’t know where she was or what the hell was going on. Nothing was making sense and she couldn’t seem to wrap her head around the situation, but you know what they say, fake it till you make it. If they could be from the north, then she could very-well be from the fucking west.

“West, you say?” He seemed to contemplate for a second. “Bree?”

“That’s the one!” Ruby agreed, maybe a bit too readily. “Good ol’ Bree. Home sweet home.”

“Where are you heading?” He asked with a brow raised.

“East.” Ruby shrugged noncommittally. She was trying to remain aloof and didn’t want to seem like she had no idea where she was. That would give them the upper hand.

“If you continue this far North, surely you will reach the Misty Mountains.” He seemed to be eyeing her like she was stupid. Apparently, the Misty Mountains were not a good place to be at this time of year.

“I was going to turn south before reaching the Mountains, of course.”

“You are going to Rivendell?”

“Yep.” Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

“What business do you have with the Elves?” _Hold the phone. Did he just say Elves?_

Ruby opened her mouth only to snap it shut again. What kind business did someone have with fucking _Elves_? Maybe she needed some toys made? She cleared her throat and eyed the other two men who seemed to give her their full attention now that the injured one, Remnad, was all patched up.

“I don’t think I should say.” She said carefully.

“Well, it seems are interests align.” Cern butted in after a tense pause.

“Really? Why are you going to the Elves?” Ruby asked rather curious of what the Elves did.

“We should not say either.” Gerrolt bit out as Cern opened him mouth to respond.

“Fair enough.” Ruby shrugged. She wasn’t going to pry if they didn’t. “We should go together.” She didn’t have any food or water and by the looks of the packs they had, they did. They were also handy in a fight it would seem.

“I think not.” Gerrolt glared at her with distrust.

“He could help with Remnad.” Cern interjected. “His wound will not allow him to walk on his own easily. Nor should he carry his things.”

“Perfect! I have no things to carry.” Ruby clapped her hands together and began to make her way to the pack that sat on the ground beside Remnad.

“No things?” Gerrolt asked skeptically. “How have you made it thus far?” Ruby tensed at her mistake.

“I seemed to have misplaced them.” She rushed out. “Bandits and what not.”

“Bandits?” Remnad asked, his voice tense with pain.

“Yep. They took all my supplies and my sword, which is why I am unarmed.” Ruby improvised with a nod. “That was a few days ago.”

None of them seemed to know what to make of that. Hell, if Ruby were in their place, she wouldn’t know what to say either. With a shrug, she picked up Remand’s bag with ease and slung it over her shoulder. It was heavy, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “Let’s go.”

“Indeed.” Cern agreed. Followed by the reluctant Gerrolt.

Cern helped Remnad stagger to his feet. Even though Cern had bound the wound, Remnad was not looking good. Ruby thought he looked pale and sweaty, which was not a good sign.

Gerrolt took the lead and Cern helped Remnad hobble after him and Ruby followed in the rear. They were moving sluggishly and Gerrolt was getting frustrated. Ruby could tell his patients was wearing thin by the tension in his shoulders and the glances he kept throwing at Cern.

“We will camp here tonight.” Cern announced as he carefully lowered Remnad to the ground. The had walked for hours and Ruby was desperate for a change of scenery. The trees were lovely, but it was just tree after tree and oh look, another fucking tree. It’s not like the men were a chatty bunch or anything, so she had nothing to do but be left alone with thoughts she didn’t want to think about because they were becoming less and less ludicrous by the second. The sun was setting, and Ruby figured it would be dark within the hour.

“No! We must continue or we will not make it to Rivendell within three days time.” Gerrolt argued, attempting to get to Remnad, only to be blocked by Cern.

“He goes no further this night.” Cern argued.

Ruby wisely stayed out of the argument and decided she would be more useful checking on Remnad. The walk had not improved his condition. He was even paler and soaked in sweat. Ruby felt his forehead and sure enough, he was burning up. His body was wracked in tremors and if Ruby didn’t know any better, she would say he had Sepsis. It was likely given the disgusting state of the weapons the creatures fought with. They were bound to be covered in bacteria.

She had seen it before. One of Hanks younger fighters had gotten it a while back when they got cut by an iffy knife in a fight. They had to be treated in the hospital, and Ruby was pretty sure that they would have died if they hadn’t gotten medical attention when they did. That thought did bode well with her as she eyed Remnad.

“He’s very sick.” She told Cern when he appeared at her side, apparently, he had won the fight.

“Yes, it is beyond my skill to heal.” Cern nodded gravely. “He needs Elvish medicine.”

“Soon.” Ruby didn’t know what Elvish medicine was but Remnad really needed help and fast.

“I can take a look at you injury, if you wish.” Cern offered gesturing to the bloodied rags wrapped around her hands.

“Don’t bother, Remnad is the priority.” Ruby would rinse the wounds with some of their water when no one would be paying attention. There was no need for them to know the extent of her injury and she didn’t want to explain how she got them either. Just thinking about the coffin made her shiver.

Cern changed the bloody bandages and then began to make a fire. Gerrolt had disappeared to who knew where and Ruby was feeling pretty useless again, so she went to gather firewood.

When she returned, Gerrolt was skinning a rabbit. It was a gruesome sight, but Ruby had seen worse. That didn’t stop her stomach from turning at the bloody guts on the ground. She adverted her gaze and set the wood next to the fire. Then, she found herself a nice tree to sit by and lean against.

“What do you do in Bree, Ruby?” Cern asked as he sat next to her.

“I was a…” She trailed off looking at the mangled rabbit with morbid curiosity before saying something she knew she would regret later. “…butcher.”

“Indeed?” He raised and eyebrow.

“Yep.” She nodded.

“I would have assumed a healer or a guard.” Cern shrugged. Yeah, both of those would have been better answers, but its not like she could take it back now.

“Family business.” He seemed to understand. “What is it that you do exactly?”

“We patrol the northern boarders of Eriador.”

“Right.” Like she knew what _that_ was.

“Where did you learn to fight like that, if you do not mind me asking.” Cern look curious, like he was expecting a grand story. Even Gerrolt looked like he was listening closely as he roasted the rabbit over the fire.

“Well, it’s a long story.” Ruby shrugged and brushed off the question. “It isn’t very interesting.” Luckily, Cern changed the topic.

“You did a very brave thing by helping us, despite not having your sword.” Cern smiled at her gratefully.

“I wasn’t going to stand there and watch.” Ruby shrugged off the complement. “I hope you three would have helped me if it was the other way around.”

“I hope so as well.” Cern frowned, glaring at Gerrolt.

“How long would you say Remnad has?” Ruby hated to ask such a morbid question, but she wanted to know.

“He needs to be treated in at least three day’s time, but we had hoped to reach the east road by today and we did not, which means we are going to be a half-day short of making it in time.” Cern look disheartened. “We will be even later if we keep moving at this pace.”

“There are three of us.” Ruby pointed out. “We are all strong and capable of lifting him and going the distance. Especially if we rotate who carries him.”

“That might speed things up, but we would still be a half-day behind.” Cern muttered.

“It’s a fighting chance and who knows? Maybe Remnad will hold on long enough.” Ruby watched as hope ignited in Cern’s eyes.

“You are right. We should still try.” Cern smiled at her. “We just need to convince Gerrolt that it will be enough.”

“Leave him to me.” Ruby walked over to Gerrolt’s side and sat next to him.

“I do not want to hear it.” He stated as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Good. You were listening.” Less for Ruby to explain. “Think of it this way, we get to Rivendell sooner with the added benefit of Remnad potentially not dying.” This seemed to make him consider it. “And you won’t have to travel with me for a longer period of time.” She added to sweeten the suggestion.

“Just as long as you can bear his weight.”

“That won’t be an issue.”


	3. Chapter 3

Surprisingly, the rabbit was pretty good. Ruby had never had rabbit before—it tasted like chicken. She was somewhat hesitant, but she hadn’t had anything to eat since she ‘arrived’ and was starving. She honestly couldn’t remember the last thing she had eaten.

Ruby ended up scarfing down her portion and then rested a hand on her stomach contentedly. She didn’t even care that there wasn’t any salt on it or that the outside was kind of burnt.

“That was delicious.” She complemented Gerrolt who glared at her. Jeez, he was a piece of work.

“We do not have a spare sleeping mat for you to use.” Cern spoke up in Gerrolt’s silence as he returned from checking on Remnad. It was that moment that Ruby noticed that all of them were seated on a thin brown blanket-y thing, while she sat on the ground.

“I’ll be fine.” Probably sore and cold, but Ruby could survive sleeping on the ground.

Cern gave her a small smile before settling down on his mat and wrapping himself in his cloak.

Ruby laid back, shifting around to find a comfy spot on the ground, only to give up her futile search. She sighed and looked up at the vast night sky, her eyes looking for the constellation that reminded her of her mother— _her_ constellation—only to see that it was not above her. Ruby felt a lump form in her throat.

She recognised the stars, but they were not where they should be. It was as if it was July instead of May. If her calculations were correct, _her_ constellation was hiding just beyond the treetops. Ruby swallowed thickly as the rabbit tried to creep back up and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

…

Ruby sat up with a sharp gasp, gripping her throat. She couldn’t remember exactly what she had been dreaming about, but she had a sneaking suspicion about what it was. She knew for sure that whatever it was, it hadn’t been pleasant. It was still dark out, but she got up and began her daily morning stretches, making sure to pay extra attention to the achy bits she had from sleeping on the hard ground.

Gerrolt was already up a moving, eyeing her actions warily. No doubt she gave him a startle jolting awake like she had. Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask about it. She gave him a quick smile before going to find a spot to pee where there was some privacy. When she returned, Cern was awake and kneeling next to Remnad.

“How is he?” Ruby asked softly.

“As well as could be expected.” He replied.

Well, that was somewhat cryptic. Would she ask if she knew what was to be expected? Remnad seemed to be unconscious and feverish, his eyelids were fluttering, but she didn’t know if that was a good thing, it probably wasn’t. Ruby sighed and began to help Gerrolt put out the fire and wipe away any trace of there campsite.

“We leave at first light.” Gerrolt spoke from next to her, breaking the silence. “You shall be the first to carry Remnad as it was your suggestion.”

“Fine.” Ruby shrugged and Gerrolt eyed her as if he were expecting her to object. After a moment, they both continued to pack in silence.

Once they were ready to leave, Ruby carefully hauled Remnad over her shoulder and looped her arm around his knee and grasped his wrist in her hand in a fireman’s carry—making sure to avoid touching or jostling his other leg. Remnad remained in his unconscious state and Ruby tried her best not to wake him.

Cern looked at her with an impressed smile. Obviously, her shorter stature had him thinking that she wasn’t strong enough to carry a man that was taller than her, but Ruby wasn’t tiny, she was only a few inches shorter than them and she had lifted heavier weights at the gym. She could carry him for probably half an hour before she would really feel the strain in her muscles.

They began the trek, Ruby not complaining about carrying Remnad at all. Hank hated complaining, so she learned to face difficult tasks without a word. She could tell that both men were surprised with her resilience and Ruby felt some pride well up in her chest. Yeah, she was a strong, capable woman that doesn’t need a man to help her. Not that they knew she was a woman.

He inner feminist was interrupted by Cern, who announced that he would take his turn carrying Remnad. Ruby felt like she should argue, but the sweat dripping down her back silenced her objection before it could be voiced.

She carefully lowered Remnad to the ground and took a step back, rolling her shoulders and stretching her back, allowing Cern to inspect Remnad’s injury and rewrap it before he picked him up. Ruby shot forward at one point to steady them when it seemed like Cern was listing a little too far to the side.

“My thanks.” Cern smiled at her.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ruby shrugged and picked up the packs that Cern had left on the ground.

“We must continue.” Gerrolt interrupted without glaring at Ruby this time. It seemed as if she had earned a smidgen of his respect, which she mentally patted herself on the back for.

The stopped once more so that Gerrolt could take his turn carrying Remnad, before the sun had peaked in the sky. Ruby could feel her muscles slowly begin to tire from all the walking, but she had built up her endurance over the years. She needed to be able to keep up her speed when she fought larger opponents, if she got too worn out too fast, it was an easy way to get beaten to a pulp.

They all took two more turns before Gerrolt called for them to stop for the night. It was getting dark and they had come across a river. Ruby almost danced with glee because she desperately needed hydration and to wash off the dirt and sweat. Sure, she had been sipping from Remnad’s waterskin, but she had done so sparingly because she didn’t know when they would be able to refill it.

Ruby gave Cern her waterskin when he offered to go and fill it and set out to look for firewood. Gerrolt had disappeared again, probably trying to catch dinner. She grabbed some fair-sized sticks and tossed them on the ground of their campsite.

She had nothing to start a fire with, so she decided to go help Cern try and force some water down Remnad’s throat.

After they managed to get him to swallow a decent amount, Ruby decided it was time to bathe, seeing that Gerrolt was back with two squirrels and Ruby the ‘butcher’ needed to conveniently be not there.

“I’m going a little ways down stream to wash up, if that’s alright.” She announced.

“Indeed.” Cern smiled at her and Gerrolt grunted, which she took as permission.

Ruby went far enough so that they wouldn’t see her, but still remained in shouting distance in case any of those creatures showed up. She then stripped off her hoodie and tried to shake of a good amount of dust and dirt, repeating the process with her cargo pants. Ruby then, not comfortable fully striping with strangers nearby, waded into the stream in her sports bra and underwear.

She went out to the point where the frigid water reached mid-thigh then cupped water in her hands and scrubbed at her skin. She even undid her braids and dunked her head forward to wash her hair. Ruby made sure to pay extra attention to her wounds, gently flushing them with the icy water.

After about fifteen minutes, she was as clean as she could be without soap and getting fully naked. She quickly got out and put her clothes back on, her cargo pants clinging to her legs somewhat uncomfortably since she didn’t have a towel to dry off with. Ruby wrung out her hair and re-braided it, not caring that it was still wet. She also re-wrapped her hands with the strips she tried to clean in the river.

Shivering, she made her way back to the campsite, where someone had luckily started the fire. Ruby made sure to get really close and she warmed her chilly fingers.

It wasn’t long before she was happily munching on cooked squirrel and then curling into a ball on the ground to sleep.

…

The next day they woke up and repeated the events of yesterday, and then they did it for the next day, rinse and repeat. Ruby was now getting a hang of the routine and her muscles were getting stronger from the constant exercise. Remnad’s condition was rapidly deteriorating as time passed and Cern was getting less hopeful by the second.

Apparently they were very close to Rivendell, but still were not going to make it before Remnad bit it. At least, that’s what Cern seemed to think. Gerrolt was scowling more, but Ruby was not going to be dissuaded from asking to pick up the pace.

“Could we jog the rest of the way?”

“No.”

“Please?” Cern gave her an incredulous look and Gerrolt turned around to glare at her, his grip on Remnad tightening.

“Roughly jostling Remnad around will not improve his condition.” Gerrolt turned away from her and continued.

“But if he might not make it at this pace, will jostling him around really matter?” Ruby tried to reason.

“He makes a fair point, Gerrolt.” Cern agreed. “If we pick up our pace we may reach Rivendell before nightfall.”

“Come on, I’ll even carry him while we jog!” Ruby was sore and tired, but she knew her limits and she could do it. She would be exhausted and utterly useless once they got there, so hopefully these elves were nice, non-violent people that wouldn’t feel the need to try and kill her.

“Fine.” Gerrolt conceded. “But I will set the pace and if I say we stop, we stop. No complaints.”

“Fair enough.” Ruby nodded and set down the pack she had been carrying. She carefully lifted the unconscious Remnad onto her shoulders and nodded at Gerrolt.

They set off, jogging at a medium speed. It didn’t take long for Ruby to start breathing heavier and her thighs to start burning, but she pressed on, trying to move a steadily as she could for Remnad’s sake. She managed to keep up with the other two fairly easily.

Ruby didn’t know how much time had passed, but her body was beginning to protest. Her whole body was dripping with sweat, the sun beating down on her was not helping either. All her muscles were screaming, and her legs were beginning to feel rubbery.

She really wanted to hit them with an ‘are we there yet?’ but she was feeling slightly vomit-y so she refrained and pushed on. This was some killer cardio; Hank would have loved it. She could almost see him grinning sadistically at her and yelling insults. Hank’s insults were what really kept her going.

Ruby was so focused on her jogging that she almost didn’t notice that they were suddenly surrounded with about a dozen arrows pointed at them. It was fairly surreal looking at all the majestically beautiful creatures, Ruby was almost convinced she had began hallucinating or that she had more likely died and gone to heaven. Though, if that was the case, heaven was a lot more hostile than she had been expecting.

A beautiful being stepped forward and said something fancy that Ruby couldn’t understand. She wasn’t particularly concerned about the threatening angels; Ruby was distracted by trying to keep herself on her feet. Gerrolt was conversing with the leader in the same fancy language and Ruby was getting impatient.

“Excuse me, but I have a dying man that needs medical attention. Preferably now.” She interrupted, not caring in the slightest if she was coming across as rude. She was fucking tired and Remnad was not getting any lighter.

“Of course, we will have him brought to a healer right away.” The ethereal what she assumed was an ‘elf’ spoke, his voice making even English sound fancy.

Ruby almost didn’t notice that Remnad had been lifted from her shoulders by two ‘elves’ until she almost fell over from having the added weight displaced. She quickly used her sleeve to wipe some of the sweat from her face, probably smearing some dirt on it, but whatever.

Literally all of the elves looked way better than she did anyways, she also apparently looked like a man. Her self-esteem seemed to be taking a lot of hits recently.

“Come, we shall escort you and your companions to the city.” The leader said to Gerrolt, who nodded in agreeance looking less grim than normal. Ruby was slightly miffed that he didn’t even glare at any of the elves. He apparently only disliked her. Rude.

Ruby followed along, guzzling water as she went. Eventually, her breathing calmed down and became steady, but her legs still felt like Jell-O. She caught Cern giving her some worried glances, but she waved off his concern. Ruby just needed some rest and she’d be fine, sore, but fine.

The eventually reached their destination and Ruby’s jaw dropped. She had never seen anything like it, the city was truly magnificent. There was literally a fucking waterfall, that’s how majestic it was.

Picking her jaw off the ground, Ruby continued to follow the rest of the group. They walked up a stone path to some statues and then…there were stairs. Ruby wanted to cuss out whoever decided to put stairs in this oasis, because _fuck_ her legs were dying.

She managed to hold in her sigh of relief as their party came to a halt before reaching the steps. _Hallelujah!_ Her relief was interrupted by the leader.

“I must ask you to wait here while Lord Elrond speaks with Gerrolt and Cern. Do not fret, Gerrolt has informed me that you require an audience.” Fuck you, Gerrolt. Fuck you.

“No problem.” Ruby tried to give him a nice smile, but she was too tired to really care that it probably looked more like a grimace. She also didn’t care if the other soldier elves judged her for laying on their steps.

Ruby reclined, the stone steps digging into her spine uncomfortably, and sighed, closing her eyes. Man, she could fall asleep like this. Except she couldn’t relax fully, because internally, she was trying to figure out what she was going to tell the elf lord person. What does one travel to the elves to talk about? Gerrolt certainly knew but didn’t share. The prick.

Ruby was startled by the sound of an angelic voice. She hadn’t even heard anyone approach or leave, so she figured all the soldiers were still loitering, but to her surprise, all of them had left without her noticing. The only remaining person was the elf leaning over her reclined figure.

“Lord Elrond will see you now.” Wow, that was fast, Ruby thought to herself, Gerrolt must not have had a lot to say.

“Right.” Ruby swallowed nervously and began the long hard trek up the dreaded stairs to what would most likely be her doom.

…

Ruby forced herself to not shift under the heavy gaze of this elf lord. She felt completely inferior, their ethereal beauty made her feel self-conscious and they were all taller than her, even when sitting. She was above average height, so she was going to take it as a personal offence. It didn’t help that it felt like he could see into her soul and gaze upon all her secrets and lies. Ruby was just wholly uncomfortable with this situation.

She broke eye contact with Lord Elrond and focused on the other two elves in the room. Her eyes were drawn first to the golden-haired goliath that seemed to be fucking glowing. What the fuck was up with that? He seemed to be the most muscular of the three and his gaze seemed light, but there was a darkness that lurked there.

The other elf was smaller and closer to her stature, but still taller than her. He had hair like dark chocolate and an expression like he had eaten something just as bitter. It seemed like a permanent scowl was etched on his face. Honestly, the scowl was refreshing. It seemed like all the other elves in this ‘Rivendell’ were happy or indifferent. Ruby preferred the scowl.

“I was informed that you has business you wished to discuss.” Her eyes darted back to Lord Elrond’s. _Fuck._

“Yep, that _is_ what I said.” Why had she said that? Why did Gerrolt have to tell them that? The fucking tattler. She hoped her tone hadn’t betrayed her regret. She did her best to restrain her grimace. How did one address a goddamn _lord_ , anyway?

“Well?” His face held no emotion. Honestly, Ruby thought her ‘Heartless-face’ was good, but it didn’t hold a candle to his. Wow, he was fucking intense.

“Right.” Ruby cleared her throat.

“Maybe you should start with your name?” Dark Chocolate interjected after a long silence. He seemed like he wanted to leave and didn’t appreciate her wasting his time.

“My name’s Ruby.” She answered smoothly.

“This is not going to go well if you lie.” Lord Elrond responded smoother and Ruby had an internal freak-out.

How the _mother-loving fuck_ did he know that that wasn’t her real name!? She hadn’t gone by her birthname since she left home at seventeen. She hadn’t so much as uttered it in almost ten years.

It took a lot to keep her expression schooled, but she had the feeling that he _knew_ —that they _all_ knew—he had rattled her. “I don’t know what you mean.” She would deny everything because _fuck_ she hated her real name. “I go by the name Ruby.”

“That may be true, however, it is not your name.” Ruby didn’t like to be called out like this. She felt exposed and unguarded. She could practically hear Hank yelling at her to not drop her defences.

“Then, since you know so much, why don’t you tell me what my name is?” She knew it was a childish thing to say, but she was tired and getting angry.

“That, I cannot say, but I can wait until you decide to be reasonable.” Just looking at him, Ruby could tell it wasn’t a bluff. It was at this point that Dark Chocolate decided that he did not like that idea.

“Why be so stubborn? Asking for a name is not an odd request.” Dark Chocolate glared at her. Both the elf lord and the golden goliath remained blank at this declaration. Ruby glared back at him with all seriousness.

“I don’t like my name.” She grumbled as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Both Dark Chocolate and Lord Elrond looked slightly taken aback, the goliath, however, had the audacity to look amused. “and it’s not like I asked for yours, Grouchy.”

Dark Chocolate looked positively offended and the goliath actually laughed. Ruby found herself smiling at the sound, but quickly smothered it. Lord Elrond looked just as serious as ever, but Ruby could’ve sworn his eyes glinted with unshed laughter.

“We may have skipped introductions, however, that can be rectified as long as you agree to cooperate.” Lord Elrond reasoned.

“Fine.” Ruby agreed. “You first.”

“I am Lord Elrond of Imladris, this is my head Advisor Erestor, and the commander of the guard, Glorfindel.” The names sounded strange to her, but they were fucking _elves_ , so that was to be expected.

“Cassiopeia.” Ruby muttered grumpily. She had always hated it. It was long and different from the names of her peers. It didn’t help that it was the name of a vain queen that attempted to sacrifice her daughter to appease the sea-god because she pissed off his daughters.

“Strange, but not unpleasant.” Glorfindel stated.

“Hey! I didn’t call your names strange.” Ruby objected. Her name _was_ strange, but that didn’t mean he should point it out. “I think yours is worse than mine, anyway.” Glorfindel scoffed at her notion.

“My name is not _strange_.”

“I’m sorry to be the one who has to break this to you, but yes, it is.”

“Enough.” Lord Elrond interjected. “We seem to have drifted away from our purpose. What is your business here, Cassiopeia?” Ruby cringed at her real name.

“Call me Ruby.” He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “Honestly, I am not supposed to be here.”

“We have come to that conclusion ourselves.” Dark Cho—Erestor cut in.

“I mean, that I…” What the fuck was she supposed to say? That she had no idea where she was, and that Elves were not supposed to exist? To them, she’d sound bat-shit crazy. “I…” She growled in frustration and settled for making some wild hand gestures, ending with a helpless shrug. No one seemed to know what to make of that; not even her.

“You mean to say that you are lost?” Lord Elrond interpreted.

“In a way.” Ruby nodded.

“I will have Erestor show you some maps, if you see something familiar, we will do our best to get you home.” Lord Elrond seemed to think that that resolved the problem, but it was far from resolved in Ruby’s mind.

“You don’t understand! I’m not going to recognise any of the places.” She exclaimed in frustration. She was too angry to realize that she was treading in dangerous waters.

“Have you not seen a map before?” Erestor asked. “Do you not know how to read?”

“Of course I can read!” Ruby felt offended now.

“Then, I do not see a problem.” Erestor glared at her. “Lord Elrond has made a very gracious offer and you wish to refuse it?”

“No! I understand that you have no obligation to help me but looking at maps is not going to get me home.”

“Why?” This came from the elf lord.

“I don’t think I _can_ go home.” Ruby cringed as a memory fought its way to the surface of her mind. She rubbed the base of her throat, absentmindedly.

“Why is that?” Glorfindel eyed her motions and Ruby stopped immediately once she realized what she was doing. She tightened her hands into fists and forced her arms to remain at her sides.

“What do you want from me!?” Ruby felt her anger explode. “Do you want me to tell you that I don’t know how I got here? That nothing looks familiar to me? That the stars aren’t where they should be? I—” Her voice cracked. “—I just don’t know…” She finished lamely; her anger spent.

Ruby buried her face in her hands, not daring to look at the reactions. Surely now they would throw her out in the woods. She sounded absolutely insane. At least she hadn’t mentioned the lack of the existence of Elves.

“Ruby?” Lord Elrond spoke carefully. She looked up at him and was surprised to find compassion in hid eyes.

“Yes?”

“I sense no lie in your words.” She perked up at this. “This is an unexpected development indeed. I believe that I did agree to do my best to get you home, so I shall. For now, you will be a guest in my house.”

“Thank you.” Ruby sighed. She had no where to go and he was being very kind.

“You are weary.” He stated. “Lord Glorfindel will take you to your chambers.”

Just like that, she was dismissed. Ruby didn’t particularly care; she was exhausted and in desperate need of a bath. God, she hoped they had baths.

…

They walked in silence. The only sound was her feet shuffling and Ruby marveled at how quiet Glorfindel was when he walked. “Are all elves this quiet?” She asked and he seemed surprised that she had spoken.

“Yes.” He smirked at her. “Are you always this loud?”

“I’m not going to answer that.”


	4. Chapter 4

Her room was beautiful, not that she was expecting anything less. Beauty seemed to just come naturally to the elves, so much so, that there wasn’t a mirror to be found. Apparently, elves were so extraordinarily beautiful with minimal effort.

Ruby didn’t necessarily _want_ to see how she looked, but she was somewhat curious to see the damage. She definitely smelled like she had spent the passed three days frolicking around in a forest.

Glorfindel had dropped her off and had went to find her a ‘handmaiden’ to help her. Ruby didn’t really understand why until she had seen the ensuite bathroom and realized that there was no running water. It was at this point when she really began to miss her apartment.

Sure, this room was definitely more elegant and had gorgeous wooden furniture that had pretty swirly leaf designs, but honestly, all she wanted right now was to curl up on her dirty purple couch with her electric blanket and watch Wheel of Fortune. Obviously, that was not an option here, but she would settle for soaking in a bathtub once someone showed her where she could find water.

As if her thoughts had been heard, she heard a soft knock on the door. Ruby shuffled tiredly over to it and tugged it open to reveal a grinning Glorfindel and a timid looking lady-elf.

“Hi.” Ruby raised an eyebrow.

“This is Edegil.” Glorfindel gestured to the elf next to him. “She will attend to you.”

“Right.” Ruby nodded, not really understanding, but getting the gist that Edegil was going to help her out. “I’m Ruby.” She introduced herself and opened the door wider so that the Edegil could enter.

“I shall take my leave.” Glorfindel bowed slightly and practically skipped away. Ruby shut the door and turned to Edegil with a questioning look.

“Is he always that happy?”

“Yes.” Edegil’s soothing voice washed over her.

“Huh.” Ruby responded intelligently. “So, I wish to have a bath because I smell terrible and probably look worse. How does one go about doing that?”

Then like a switch had been flipped, Edegil was teaching her the way of the elvish bath. By the end of her explanation, Ruby had only really understood half of what she had said because she had been distracted by how musical Edegil’s voice was and her gracefulness. Ruby got the fundamentals, which was really the most important thing.

After a really long time, there was a tub full of nice hot water waiting for and Ruby was eyeing it hungrily. However, Edegil was still there so she refrained from whipping off her clothes right then and there.

“Thank you very much for teaching me. I’m going to wash now so…” She trailed off hoping that the elf would get the message to leave. Ruby didn’t want to rudely tell her to get out, but she really wanted to get in that bathtub. “I’ve got this part covered.” Ruby smiled at her.

“Very well.” Edegil gave her a small smile and left the room. That was a bit of a weird situation that Ruby didn’t quite understand, but right now, taking a bath took priority over her worries.

She sighed in ecstasy as she lowered herself into the hot water. She washed her hair with the products in the jars that Edegil had explained to her earlier. Ruby could feel the tension leaving her muscles as she slowly scrubbed away the remaining dirt from her skin. Life was good.

Then, life was not so good.

Ruby had felt a patch of raised skin at the base of her neck. _It couldn’t be_. But it was, she had a scar that trailed across her neck that hadn’t been there after her fight. Suddenly, Ruby was forced to face a truth she had been denying herself since she had gotten here.

It hadn’t been a nightmare, she had really had her throat torn open by that idiot, Mick. But that meant—that meant that she had…but she couldn’t have. She was right here, breathing, her heart beating in her chest. Except she didn’t actually know where ‘here’ was. _Oh god._

Ruby felt a lump rise up in her throat, but she didn’t know if she was about to cry or throw up. She clutched her throat in her hand really tightly, as if she could push the scar back into her skin like it had never happened. Had she really… _died?_ The scar and her being _here_ suggested that she had. At the hands of a shitty drug dealer no less.

Ruby leaned over the water to get a glimpse of her reflection in the water. It was an ugly scar too, all thick and jagged. The idiot couldn’t have even cut in a straight line? It ran from her jugular on her left side just above her collar bone around to roughly the same spot on her right—zigzagging a bit in the middle. It was low enough on her neck that her hoodie had covered it, but how she hadn’t noticed it when she was washing in the river, Ruby didn’t know. It was bright pink and hard to miss.

Ruby felt slightly disgusted looking at it and leaned back so she wouldn’t have to see it anymore. She had plenty of scars, but none that brought up unpleasant thoughts like this one did. She could practically taste her blood on her tongue and Ruby shuddered. It was too soon to think about it. How does one cope with their own death?

Ruby let herself lay in the now-murky water until it became cold. Then she gathered what was left of her strength and hauled herself out of the tub and dried herself off with a towel. She made her way to the main part of her room, finding a plain white gown laying on her bed. Edegil must have put it there for her when she left. Ruby also noticed a basin a water on top of the dresser but left it there because she had no idea what it was for.

Ruby folded the dress and placed it on the table next to the bed. It was nice and everything, but Ruby preferred sleeping in the nude. She could also see that it was also beginning to get dark outside from the window. Stifling a yawn, Ruby crawled into the bed and curled into a ball, falling asleep almost instantly. She never even realized that she hadn’t had dinner.

…

Ruby shot awake with a gasp, clutching her neck in her sweaty hand. She looked around her dark room, not recognising where she was right away. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest like one of those monkey’s that banged cymbals together.

After calming herself down, Ruby peeled the sheets back and walked over to the basin of water that Edegil had left, splashing it on her face and neck. She had no idea if that was it’s purpose, but it was now.

The cool water definitely help get rid of the sticky feeling of hot blood pouring out of her neck and down her chest. She quietly made her way to her window and saw that the sun hadn’t started to rise yet, but it was a full moon, so she could still see fairly easily.

Remembering that she was naked, Ruby went to her closet and opened it, not really knowing what to expect. The inside was empty. Great. She eyed the white gown beside her bed and frowned. Ruby was never really one for dresses, she found that they were not as easy to move around in as pants, but the only other option was her dirty clothes that she had left on the floor of the bathroom.

She went for her old clothes. Sure, they were dirty, stained, and smelly, but right now, Ruby was planning on going outside for a good hard run, so she was going to get dirty and smelly anyways. She couldn’t help but cringe as she put them back on though. She was pretty sure that the crusty black smear on her sleeve was blood from those nasty creatures. Ew. The large blood stain was still on the front and Ruby was now a little concerned that no one had questioned why she had looked like she had straight up murdered someone.

Ruby tiptoed out of her room and down a maze of different hallways—trying to be a quiet as she could because people were probably trying to sleep, and elves apparently didn’t make noise when they walked. There was no way she wanted to be known as that-noisy-woman-that-walks-around-loudly-at-ungodly-hours-of-the-morning. Eventually, Ruby found an exit and left the building, making sure to remember where it was and how to get back to it and her room—even if the route she would take would be ridiculously convoluted.

Ruby walked to a bit of a forest-y area that looked empty and then took off at a pace Hank would be proud of. Even if she couldn’t go back to her regular life, she still wanted to keep up her training. It would probably be beneficial given the nasty creatures that she had found attacking Gerrolt, Cern, and Remnad. She also needed to improve her skills if she had been taken down by that fucking idiot surfer. What better way to start, then to do some killer cardio that would take her mind off the _incident_.

Ruby ran through the trees like something was nipping at her heels. The only thing she could do was focus on her breathing and where she was going as she weaved around the many trees. She made sure to keep a steady pace and then pushed herself to her limits.

Ruby barely noticed that the sun was beginning to peek out from behind the tops of the trees. She had lost track of the number of laps she had done a long time ago and had only stopped now because Glorfindel had appeared in her line of sight—shining brightly in the sunlight. Ruby eyed him warily as she tried to catch her breath and noticed how he kind of looked behind her strangely and then flicked his gaze back to her sweat-drenched form.

“Is everything alright, milady?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. She must look pretty pitiful right now, but he had already seen her sweaty and covered in dirt so what did it matter?

“I’m great!” She tried to give him a grin, but she hadn’t slept well and was still gulping down air like it was going out of style, so it probably wasn’t too convincing. “Just thought I’d do my brisk morning run.” She began to do some stretches, ignoring the small frown that appeared on his face. “Also, don’t call me ‘milady’ that’s weird.”

“Brisk might be putting it lightly, Ruby.”

“I needed to push myself, I haven’t been doing my daily exercising lately.” Ruby shrugged off his concern. “Would you elves happen to have a treadmill or a pull-up bar?”

“I’m afraid I do not know what you are referring to.” He gave her a puzzled look, his eyebrows scrunching together.

“I was afraid of that.” Ruby began walking in circles to cool down. “Do you have any sort of exercise equipment at all?”

“We have training grounds for our guards to practice and hone their skills. Would that be what you are asking for?” His puzzled look didn’t falter in the slightest.

“Sure, could you take me there?” Ruby asked but then realized that she was a stranger so she might not be allowed to be there. “That is, if it is alright for me to go and train there too.”

“That is fine, but are you sure you wish to? I thought that Edain women were rarely trained for battle, with the exception of the shieldmaidens of Rohan.” Glorfindel began to walk away, so Ruby followed him.

“Absolutely. On a separate note, what does ‘Edain’ mean?” She asked with some curiosity. It was one of the words that he had said that she hadn’t recognised.

“Apologies, that is the term that elves use to refer to men. I am an elf or one of the Eldar, you are an Edain.” Glorfindel explained patiently.

“Interesting. Why aren’t women trained?” Ruby had a feeling it was going to be some old-fashioned sexist reason that was going to piss her off.

“I am unsure of the ways of men. Ellith can be warriors if they wish, though most do not choose such a path.”

“And Ellith are…?”

“Female elves.”

“Right.” Well, good for them. Elves are apparently not as sexist as the humans, so it was probably a good thing she was residing here and not with other humans it would seem. Though, the humans she had met seemed to think she was a man so, who knew?

…

Ruby was instantly mesmerized by the agility and fluidity of the elves as they were sparring. Her eyes could barely keep up with their movements. She honestly couldn’t tell who had the upper hand in the fight, they both seemed to be equally switching from offense to defence as they circled each other in the circle drawn in the dirt. It wasn’t until the slightly shorter elf disarmed his opponent, that the fight seemed to have a clear winner. Apparently, elves were not trained very well in combat without a weapon.

Overall, the training area was impressive. There was a very long archery range, wooden dummies, and drawn circles for sparring in a very large grassy space. There was also a large building that Ruby assumed to be an armoury off to one side.

However, Ruby was used to weightlifting equipment and punching bags, so this was less than ideal in her opinion. She didn’t train with weapons because Hank preferred for her to face her opponents unarmed to make her victory more inconceivable and impressive, but that meant she had little to no idea how to properly use the dummies and Ruby didn’t want to wreck anything. Ruby also had no idea how to use a bow, so there was no point in her using the archery range. The only thing that would be helpful to her training would be the sparring rings, but that required a partner and she really didn’t feel like asking any of the elves. Especially not after the display she had just witnessed.

Ruby would need to pick up her speed and boost her endurance if she wanted to have a chance at defeating one of them. She did however, after a bit of observation, know that she might be able to out-skill them if the elf she faced was unarmed.

They were definitely a lot stronger than they looked, not that they weren’t sturdily built or anything. The elves seemed to be a lot leaner and willowy, while Ruby, herself, was more visibly muscular like Gerrolt, Cern, and Remnad. The elves were also extremely tall. Glorfindel towered over her and she was just under six feet tall, but then again, he also seemed to be above the average height of a male elf.

“Is this to your liking?” Glorfindel spoke up. Ruby had almost forgotten he was there. “Gerrolt mentioned your sword was stolen. You can borrow one if you wish. I must admit, I am quite interested in knowing your skill with a blade.” _Well, shit._

“Yeah…about that,” Ruby scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, peering up at Glorfindel. “I have never actually fought with a sword ever in my life, I am better at fighting with my hands. I just didn’t want Gerrolt to be suspicious.”

“Is that so?” Glorfindel raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Well, I am even more intrigued of your skill now! Unarmed, you say?”

“Yes.” Ruby nodded and desperately hoped he wouldn’t ask for a demonstration. Between her lack of sleep and extensive run this morning, she was fucking exhausted. “However, I believe that I shouldn’t push myself too hard today. So I think I’ll head back to my room and wash up. Speaking of which, do you know where I could get more clothes? I don’t have anything else.”

“Edegil was supposed to bring a seamstress to you this morning so that they could take measurements, but I presume you left before that could happen.” Glorfindel grinned at her.

“Oops.”

…

Ruby parted ways with Glorfindel and began to head back to her room. She didn’t think she would do her exercises on the training grounds. If anything, she would probably get in the way. She would also have an easier time focusing without eyeing the slightly sweaty male elves anyway.

Ruby just passed the spot where she had done her running when a beautiful garden caught her eye. She had apparently missed it when she had passed by in the moonlight. With the sun shining, Ruby was able to clearly see all the amazing colours that were blossoming.

She was drawn further into the garden, her curiosity getting the better of her. There were just so many types of plants that she had never seen before. With a gentle hand, Ruby crouched down and caressed the golden petal—feeling the softness of it on her fingers.

“ _Mallos_.” A smooth feminine voice startled Ruby.

“Huh!” She jumped up from her crouched position and looked around for the origin of the voice. “What? I was _not_ touching anything!”

“That is the flower you were ‘not touching’ as you put it.” A beautiful blonde chuckled from a beautifully carved bench Ruby hadn’t noticed was literally like five feet away from her.

“Right.” Ruby shifted her feet and cleared her throat nervously. “Sorry for bothering you, I’ll just be going then…” She trailed off.

“Nonsense. Please, sit.” The beautiful elf-lady tilted her head slightly to the empty spot next to her on the bench.

“Okay.” Ruby allowed herself to perch precariously on the edge of the seat, as far as she could from the elf. Her intent was not to seem rude, but Ruby knew she stank of sweat and didn’t want to ruin the lovely scent of the flowers for her.

“I find that the best way to relax and have a clear mind is to sit in a garden.” The lady spoke. “It allows all worries to drift away.”

“What would you be worrying about? Everything in this entire place seems to be peaceful.” Ruby frowned. Other than that scowl-y Erestor, everyone seemed to pretty much be happy and worry-free.

“That would be Elrohir’s fault!” A youthful elf sprung from the bushes to the right of the bench making Ruby jump in surprise. The elf next to her seemed to have been expecting the outburst, but Ruby was wholly unprepared. Just like she was unprepared for another one to jump out from the bushes to the left of the bench.

“Is not!” The second elf-boy shouted. “Don’t listen to him, Nana! Elladan is the bothersome one.”

“Woah, there’s two.” Ruby looked back and forth between the two identical elves in confusion. They had quite literally popped out of nowhere without any warning.

“Yes, these troublesome elflings are my sons.” The lady smiled, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

The two young elves looked about thirteen years old and were certainly acting like it too. They were practically wrestling each other in the middle of the garden path. Ruby couldn’t help but notice that both elf-children were extremely cute. To the point where she could see that it would be hard to say ‘no’ to such an adorable face. It was maybe a minute before they took off running somewhere leaving Ruby baffled and the elf next to her shaking her head.

“They’re precious. How old are they?” Ruby asked with a grin.

“They will be sixty-five this yáviё.” The elf-lady responded calmly, and Ruby choked on her spit.

“W—What did you just say?”

“They will be sixty-five this yáviё.” She repeated.

“Years!?” Ruby spluttered in shock, ignoring the strange word the lady had said. That couldn’t be right; they looked thirteen. There was no way in hell they were over twice her age.

“Yes.” The lady chuckled at Ruby’s expression of disbelief.

“Your years are three hundred and sixty-five days, right?”

“Correct.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked skeptically.

“Yes, elves age differently than men.” She laughed and Ruby found herself smiling at the sound.

“So if they’re sixty-four, how old are you?”

“I am in my three thousand two hundreds.”

“Wow,” Ruby blinked not really sure she could comprehend living for over three thousand years. “Do you ever run out of things to do after so much time?”

“I will let you know if it happens.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Well, I’m Ruby and I’m twenty-seven.” Ruby introduced herself with a grin. It couldn’t hurt to make friends. Lord knows, she’ll need some one to talk to around here. She held her fist out for a fist bump without really thinking about how strange it might look here.

“I am Celebrìan.” The lady stated and held out her fist after a moment of hesitation. Ruby grinned and lightly tapped her knuckles against Celebrìan’s.

“Nice to meet you, Celebrìan.” Ruby tested out the name, hoping that she pronounced it correctly. “But I should get going.”

“It was a pleasure.” She smiled radiantly as Ruby waved goodbye and headed for her room.

Ruby was just about to reach her chambers when she literally ran into someone as she turned the last corner. “Oh God, I’m so sorry!” She began to pick up some of the papers that had gotten knocked out of the person’s hands. They were a lot thicker than what she was used to and were covered in elegant curvy letters. She handed them back and met the eyes of the scowl-y one. “Hey, there. I know you!” Ruby grinned. It’s not like she would easily forget such a grumpy elf.

“So it would seem.” He stated as he tried to re-organise the pages.

“Well, I’ll see you later, my guy.” She winked and continued on her way.

“I am not _your_ ‘ _guy_.’” She heard him grumble and Ruby smirked to herself. She had to admit, he was nice to look at and was by far the most intriguing. What made him frown all the time? Oh yeah, she was going to have a great time trying to ruffle his feathers. Sure, Glorfindel was attractive too, but he was to smile-y and happy. Erestor was definitely more her type.

Ruby sighed wistfully as she entered her room. She almost didn’t realize that it was already occupied by two elves. “Umm…Hello?”

“Good afternoon, milady.” Edegil smiled politely, though it looked a bit strained. “Seriel is here to take your measurements and make you a few gowns.”

“That is great!” Ruby grinned at the thought of clean clothes. “However, I am not really one for dresses. Would it be at all possible to get clothes similar to these made?” She asked gesturing to her current attire.

“Milady?” Edegil asked unsure while Seriel seemed to get up in Ruby’s personal space. She began tugging on parts of her hoodie and pinching the fabric, a frown appearing on her lips. After her thorough investigation seemed to be finished, Seriel stepped back with a grin.

“I would be very pleased to take on such a challenge.” Seriel grabbed a strip of fabric and began to hold it up against Ruby’s arms and wrapping it around her body. “Do you have any other preferences?”

“I would like them to be neutral colours. You can make them as plain or fancy as you want but, everything _must_ have a high neck.” Ruby stressed. She didn’t want to be flaunting her ugly scar around. Seriel raised an eyebrow at this request but nodded in compliance.

“Are you certain you do not want a gown, milady?” Edegil asked while Seriel flitted around doing whatever seamstresses did.

“Yeah, I’m sure a gown would be pretty, but I’m not the ‘pretty’ type.” Not to mention, Ruby had worn maybe two dresses in her entire life. Comfort and practicality seemed to be more important in Ruby’s mind.

“I see.” Edegil said, but Ruby got the feeling that she really didn’t. “After Seriel is finished, I suggest you get ready for your meeting with Lord Erestor. He stopped by before you arrived and said that you were to meet him in the library after the midday meal. I shall find you something suitable to wear.”

“Thanks, Edegil! You’re the best.” Ruby grinned. She wouldn’t mind seeing that grumpy elf again, even if she didn’t really know why she was meeting him. Seriel began to pack up her things and informed them that the clothes would be made a priority and she expected to finish some by tomorrow. New clothes sounded fantastic, but not as good as a bath did right now.

Ruby started to draw herself a bath as soon as Seriel had left and Edegil went dress hunting. The temperature of the water was a bit cold because Ruby had been impatient, but it felt good to get rid of all the sweat.

Ruby dried herself off and wrapped one towel around her body and another around her shoulders and neck to hide the scar. Double checking that everything was covered, Ruby left the ensuite and found Edegil waiting for her with, surprise, surprise, a dress. At least it had a high neckline.

Ruby awkwardly smiled and took the dress from Edegil’s hands, turned around so that her back was to the elf, and attempted to shimmy into the thing without dropping the towels completely. Ruby found herself cursing who ever decided to put so many fucking strings on this thing. It’s like they had _wanted_ to make it difficult.

“Would you like help, milady?” Edegil piped up from behind her.

“I got this.” At least, Ruby hoped she did. “You know you can just call me Ruby, right?”

“Milady?”

“No, ‘ _Ruby_.’” Ruby stressed. “I call you Edegil, so you can call me Ruby.”

“If you wish, Ruby.” Ruby sent her a pleasant smile over her shoulder and continued to mess around with the frustrating lump of fabric.

“Finally!” Ruby exclaimed as she slid her arms into the appropriate openings. The sleeves were tight around her biceps and restricted her movement, but at least it wasn’t bursting at the seams.

Edegil swooped in to tie the laces at the back as soon as Ruby had tugged the towels out of the dress. It hugged her body nicely, supporting her almost non-existent chest. The skirt wasn’t too large, but it was a bit long for her. The dress itself was a light brown colour that seemed almost beige and Ruby was satisfied.

Ruby slipped on her dirty running shoes and carded her fingers through her damp hair, before attempting to braid it. Once she had finished, she turned to Edegil and opened her mouth to ask a question when Ruby’s stomach rudely interrupted.

“Sorry about that.” Ruby smiled sheepishly and patted her stomach. To be fair, she hadn’t eaten anything since the squirrel over a day ago and she was starving. Ruby was honestly surprised that it had taken this long before her stomach had voiced its complaints. “I do recall that you mentioned something about a midday meal.”

“I shall take you there now, it will commence shortly.” Edegil smiled brightly.

…

Apparently, elves all ate together in a really large room with really long tables. Ruby was going to sit with Edegil, but instead, Edegil directed her to Lord Elrond’s table, insisting the she sit there because she was a guest in his house. So that’s how Ruby found herself sitting next to Glorfindel and across from some familiar elflings.

To say that she had been surprised to see Celebrìan and the twins was an understatement. If she was reading the vibes between Elrond and Celebrìan right, they were a couple. It also helped that the twins had their fathers hair and eyes, while also having Celebrìan’s nose and mouth. Ruby was kicking herself for not seeing the similarities earlier.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Ruby smiled to Celebrìan.

“Yes, you seem to clean up nicely.” Celebrìan smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You smell better too.” One of the twins piped up earning him a glare from Elrond. Ruby snorted trying to smother a laugh.

“I’m glad you think so.” Ruby managed to get out before she coughed into her hand to cover up her amusement.

“What did you do to your hand?” The other twin asked. Ruby looked at her scabbed knuckles that were slightly swollen and bruised. She hadn’t wrapped them after her bath, not wanting to put the nasty scraps back on. She had forgotten to find replacements.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” The other elflings frowned in the cutest way possible.

“Hey! What’s that over there?” Ruby exclaimed pointing somewhere behind them and when they turned to look, she hid her hand below the table.

“There is nothing there.” One complained. “Do you see anything, Elrohir?”

“No.” They turned to look at Ruby accusingly and she did her best to look as innocent as possible. “So, what did you do to your hand that makes you see things that are not there?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your hand! It is all battered.” Elladan accused.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not.” Ruby smiled.

“Yes it is.” Elrohir back his brother up.

“Where’s your proof?”

“What do you mean? We just saw it.”

“Did you see anything, Glorfindel?” Ruby turned to the elf next to her and prayed that he would play along.

“I’m afraid I have not a clue as to what you are referring to.” He grinned at her conspiratorially.

“Glorfindel!” The twins whined in unison.

“See.” Ruby grinned cheekily at the adorably frustrated elves.

“Nana! Help us!” Elrohir insisted.

“Oh no! Do not try to drag me into your antics.” Celebrìan chuckled. “Besides, the food is being served.”

Ruby didn’t really recognise all the food that was placed on the table. She knew that the different items were meat, bread, vegetables, and fruit, but she had little clue about the specific types. She eyed the plates of the elves around her which were piled with a large assortment of different things.

She watched as Glorfindel piled a bunch of small, round, red things on his plate. They kind of looked like apples, but a lot smaller than she was used to so Ruby had no idea if they were like apples at all. Celebrìan seemed to be enjoying some of the stuff that looked a bit like…stew? Ruby had no idea what kind it was, but Celebrìan seemed to be enjoying it. The twins seemed to be trying to take a bunch of little square cake things, until they got a stern look from Elrond and began reluctantly placing vegetable-looking things on their plates. Elrond, himself, seemed to be eating a nicely balanced meal of a little bit of everything.

Ruby was eyeing the bread because she figured it would be the safest option. She didn’t want to eat some mystery meat and then find out it was actually some sort of animal testicle. Vomiting would not be a great impression to make in front of all these elves. She also didn’t want to eat an alien fruit and have an allergic reaction because her body didn’t like the foreign food.

She snatched a small roll and eyed it almost suspiciously. It looked like regular bread, smelled like it too. Ruby nibbled it experimentally before deeming it edible. It was only then that she noticed that she had an audience. The elves around her were watching her with a mix of confusion and amusement. The twins were staring at her as if she had grown a second head.

Ruby smiled sheepishly and took a large bite of the bread. She was fucking hungry. She managed to polish off the roll in seconds and then went back to analyzing the food again. This time she was going to try to be more inconspicuous.

This time she went for the thing Glorfindel was eating because he seemed to love whatever those tiny little things were. They had to be good, right? Ruby nibbled one of the tiny apple-like objects and suddenly became very aware of Glorfindel watching her reaction.

It was incredibly sweet, but did actually taste like an apple, much to Ruby’s surprise. The texture was really similar too, so she came to the conclusion that they were some type of apple. She made sure to smile at Glorfindel to show her approval.

Eventually, Ruby worked up the nerve to try most of the different foods. Her favorite was the stew that Celebrìan had been enjoying. The meat was nice and tender and there were vegetables she recognised in it like potatoes and carrots. Ruby scarfed down at least four bowls of it and three more rolls.

She had just started on another roll when she realized that the twins were staring at her with their jaws hanging close to the table. She looked at them with an eyebrow raised. “What? Did you want this one or something?” She gestured at the roll in her hand.

“How…how have you eaten so much?” One finally spoke up and Ruby smirked in amusement.

“Where does it all go?” The other asked in pure befuddlement.

“I was hungry.” Ruby shrugged. She needed a lot of calories per day because she lived a very active life-style. “Hey, where’s Erestor? Shouldn’t he be here?” Ruby asked looking around the room, she would have assumed that he would have eaten with Elrond, but he didn’t seen to be here at all.

“He tends to grab something from the kitchen and then continue working until dinner.” Glorfindel explained with a content smile. That golden-haired elf was a weird one—he had eaten nothing but those really sweet apples. He must have a sweet-tooth, Ruby reasoned.

“Does he do that often?” Ruby frowned.

“Everyday! He is so boring.” Elladan complained and Ruby grinned. It sounded like Erestor was quite serious all the time then.

“That was not very nice, Elladan.” His mother stated.

“Apologies, Nana.” Ruby almost melted in her seat at the most adorable look Elladan gave Celebrìan. It was like Puss in Boots on steroids.

“Aww, look at that face! You can’t be mad at him, he’s so cute!” Ruby just wanted to reach across the table and pinch his cheek, but she refrained. Her words, however, seemed to have opposite effects on the elves around her. The twins grinned at her radiantly while Elrond and Celebrìan seemed to give a defeated sigh. Glorfindel literally groaned as if her exclamation pained him. “What! What did I do?”

“Do not fall for that, Ruby! They are not as innocent and ‘cute’ as they would have you believe.” Glorfindel proclaimed, his eyes gaining a somewhat haunted quality.

“I must agree.” Celebrìan nodded.

“Nana! How could you say that?” Elrohir complained. “We are nothing but the most perfect sons.”

“Would ‘the most perfect sons’ place pieces of stale bread in all of my shoes?” Elrond deadpanned with a singular eyebrow raised and Ruby couldn’t help but giggle. Picturing Elrond’s surprised expression when he heard the crunch was fucking hilarious.

“No! Do not encourage such behaviour, Ruby.” Glorfindel admonished.

“I can’t help it! C’mon that’s funny.” Ruby grinned as the twins beamed at her. “Hey, Elrond, how many shoes did you try before you realized that all of them had bread in them?”

“Three.” Ruby snorted.

…

The lunch was wrapped up shortly after Ruby had spotted Gerrolt and Cern a little farther down the table and had asked Elrond about Remnad’s condition. Apparently he would live and was currently recovering, but it had been a close call. Ruby found herself feeling slightly guilty that she had forgotten about her travel buddies so soon.

Everyone was beginning to leave, but luckily, Ruby had enough intuition to ask Glorfindel for help to find Erestor for the meeting they were going to have. She had no idea where she could find him and figured he wouldn’t appreciate tardiness.

As she followed Glorfindel down several different corridors, Ruby tried to think of what this meeting could be about. Nothing was really jumping out in her mind, so she decided that Glorfindel would probably have a better idea. He had known the grumpy elf longer.

“Hey, Glorfindel?” She turned her head so that she was looking at his face. “Do you know what this meeting is about?” She watched Glorfindel blink at her with a little confusion.

“Erestor has been assigned to aid your return home.” Glorfindel explained.

“Oh, right.” Ruby had forgotten that she had had her revelation after meeting with the elves. They had no idea that she didn’t think she _could_ go back; she was dead after all.

Ruby didn’t think it wise to tell anyone about her death. She, herself, had barely come to terms with it and her stomach churned unpleasantly every time she thought about it. It probably wouldn’t be well received either. If she told anyone back home that she had died, they would probably thing she was on drugs or tell her to go to therapy. She, however, was no longer at home, but she didn’t want to take the risk. “Sorry, I had forgotten.”

Glorfindel nodded at her with a kind smile and Ruby felt slightly guilty for keeping the information from him, but she just couldn’t get herself to say the words out loud. They continued in silence until they reached a set of solid wooden doors and Glorfindel stopped. “This is the entrance to the library. Erestor tends to spend most of his time here and I assumed that is where the meeting would take place.”

“Cool.” Ruby nodded and ignored the funny way Glorfindel looked at her.

Glorfindel opened the doors, which glided open soundlessly and Ruby followed him inside. They weaved around shelves filled with countless books and tables with some elves reading or writing seated at them until they reached the back corner of the room. A single elf sat surrounded by various pages and books that were scattered all around the table in organised chaos.

“I see you have finally arrived.” He spoke without glancing up from the page he was furiously writing on.

“Sup.” Ruby copied his bland tone before turning to Glorfindel with a grin. “Thanks for bringing me here, Glorfindel! I’ll see you later.”

“It was a pleasure, Ruby!” Glorfindel grinned in response and left jauntily after bidding both her an Erestor goodbye.

Ruby sat herself in the chair opposite of the busy elf and sat in silence. Then continued to sit there doing nothing for a very long time. Ruby could feel her patience wearing thin as the seconds ticked by.

It got to the point where Ruby began to fiddle with a blank page that was within her reach. Without realising, Ruby began to fold the paper, her hands following a pattern she had memorized as a young girl. Every mother’s day, Ruby would make an origami water lily for her mother because her mother’s name was Lily. It became a silly little tradition and Ruby still dropped one off every year even after she had left home.

Ruby cradled the finished lily in her hand as she let memories of her mother fill her thoughts. It was just becoming clear to her, that she would never see her mother again. Ruby couldn’t remember the last conversation she had had with her. Tears began to fill her eyes and Ruby let her hands fall into her lap—blinking away the tears before they could fall. She didn’t need Erestor asking about her sudden emotional state.

“Are we actually going to talk, or can I go?” Ruby finally interrupted.

“Very well.” Erestor sighed and put aside whatever he was working on. “Tell me about your home.”

“Oh…” Maybe they should go back to not talking. Ruby couldn’t very well tell him about cars and taxes. She barely understood that kind of stuff herself, how would she explain that to an elf? “Well, I live in my own apartment—which is like a home that is attached to other homes—in a city called San Diego.” Then Ruby shrugged. She didn’t really want to tell him specifics if she could help it. Since she wasn’t going to get home, why should she unnecessarily confuse the poor elves?

“What is the land like around your village?”

“I live near the beach and I get the most amazing view of the ocean from my apartment. When the sun sets over the water, you can see the such vibrant colours. The whole sky becomes different hues of orange and yellow.” Ruby really missed those sunsets. It was what made her want to live there in the first place.

“Near the ocean?” Erestor looked up at her for the first time and Ruby almost lost herself in his grey eyes. He was looking at her without a frown on his face, which was a first.

“Yes.” She answered after a long pause and Erestor’s usual frown resumed. He still looked just as beautiful as ever though. It was unfair.

“Is there anything else you can tell me? Is your village large?”

“It’s not _the_ largest in my country or state, but it’s still one of the largest.” Ruby tried to explain without actually telling him that there was over a million people that lived in San Diego. That may raise some harder questions like how her ‘village’ was able to support so many people.

“Do your people live in homes similar to yours?” He asked.

“Some do.” Ruby shrugged. She lived in a one-person apartment all by herself. If a person wanted to live by themselves, it was probably the most cost-effective option.

“Did you or your husband have a profession?” Her…her _what!?_

“Husband!?” Ruby spluttered.

“Is something wrong?” Erestor looked up from the note he was taking to look at Ruby as she made a choking noise.

“I don’t have a husband.” She eventually spat out in a partial state of shock. She had never had a serious relationship let alone a _husband._

“Do you still live with your family then?” Erestor asked confused.

“No. I live by myself.” Ruby explained calming down slightly. She watched as Erestor raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

“Do all the women live as such?”

“No, but it’s not uncommon for them to live on their own.” Ruby explained feeling a bit insulted that her independence was being questioned.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“You must be of child-bearing age and seem to be in good health. Why do you not have a husband?” Erestor frowned at her. The question seemed innocent enough, she knew his purpose was not to judge her, but Ruby felt like she was being judged anyways.

“I saw no point in having one.” Ruby glared at him. For the last decade, she had trained and fought for a living—she didn’t have time for a relationship or children. Sure, there had been some guys she had gone out with, but none of them had lasted.

“Why?”

“I could provide for myself and had no time to form lasting relationships. Are you married?” Ruby tried to change the topic. The conversation was circling back around to what she did as her job and she really didn’t want to talk about her profession. It was less than honourable, and Ruby didn’t want him to think of her as ‘Heartless.’

“No.” Erestor answered after a startled pause. He obviously hadn’t expected her to ask that question.

“Why not? You seem to be an adult and of good health. Why don’t you have a wife?” Ruby smirked at him.

“I—We are not here to talk about me.” He glared at her and Ruby did her best to smile innocently.

“It was just a question.” She shrugged and found herself studying his face. She was tracing the way his chocolaty hair fell over his shoulders, watching the way his left eyebrow sometimes twitched. Ruby had been eyeing the curve of his lips before she realized what she was doing and snapped out of it. “This has been fun but, I think I’ll be going now. There’s lots for me to explore. See you at dinner, my guy.”

She stood up and placed the water lily on his page of notes and left before he could call her back for more questions, however, just as she was leaving she heard him grumble quietly. It sounded suspiciously like, “I am not _your ‘guy.’_ ”


	6. Chapter 6

Ruby had fallen into a routine over the last couple of weeks. She would have a nightmare of either the incident or being trapped in the coffin and wake up at a ridiculous hour of the morning either grasping at her throat or struggling to breathe, then she would go out and train until the sun rose. After that, she would try to meet Celebrìan in the garden where they would chat or simply sit in silence. Then Ruby would either mess around with the twins or train some more.

Gerrolt, Cern, and Remnad had left a little while ago. Ruby had been somewhat sad to see them go, but she realized that they had other places to be. There had been an awkward conversation about Ruby’s gender where she had to explain that where she was from, if you’re all alone and you come across three strange men in the woods, it’s generally better if they think you are a man too. Remnad and Cern both accepted her explanation with smiles, but Gerrolt just kind of grumbled and glared. Classic Gerrolt. At least they parted on good terms.

Ruby found herself in better shape than she had ever been in before. She spent almost all her time exercising and had even found a tree with a branch that was perfect for pull-ups. The lack of sleep was taking it’s toll though. She was certain that she had dark circles constantly under her eyes and sometimes she found herself drifting away during conversations and not being able to remember what the other person had said or asked. Ruby was sure that the elves had noticed, but luckily they hadn’t said anything yet.

On a positive note, her hands had finally healed to the point where it didn’t hurt to move her fingers anymore and she absolutely adored the clothes that Seriel had made her. They were so comfortable, and the material seemed to be sturdy while still allowing for enough flexibility so her movements wouldn’t be restricted.

Overall, Ruby was enjoying her stay with the elves, however, a certain grumpy elf kept trying to ask her more questions. Luckily, she had been able to make excuses and evade his attempts for another meeting. She really didn’t want to think—let alone _talk_ —about her past now that she didn’t think she would ever go back. It hurt too much.

Ruby was currently distracting herself from the depressing thoughts that kept trying to torment her by pranking unsuspecting elves with the twins. Those rascals were something else. They had the stealth and agility of a ninja and a vast imagination, which proved to be a dangerous combo. Their pranks always left Ruby laughing.

Just yesterday, Ruby had tagged along when they had moved all the horses around in the stable. The stable hands had been left in such a state of confusion they had spent a good wandering around looking at the horses completely baffled. Ruby and the twins had giggled from where they had hidden as they watched. Even after the fact, Ruby giggled just thinking about the poor elf’s face.

Their next brilliant idea required Ruby’s assistance, which was how she had found herself outside Elrond’s office knocking on the door. The two elflings needed her to distract the elf-lord while they proceeded with the second half of the prank, which they refused to let Ruby in on. Still, she had agreed because she just couldn’t say no when they gave her an adorably pouty face.

“Enter.” She heard Elrond call from the inside of his office. Ruby proceeded into the room and shut the door behind her. The twins had told her to distract him for at least ten minutes, so she had her work cut out for her.

Ruby took a seat in front of his desk and did her best not to look suspicious. “Hello, I just had a couple of questions that I needed to ask you specifically.”

“Yes.” He gave her his full attention which was incredibly daunting.

“Well, I was wondering if you could tell me about your relationship with Celebrìan.” Ruby asked and was met with a raised eyebrow.

“Celebrìan and I are married.” He stated and Ruby almost rolled her eyes.

“I meant, like, how did you meet and how you knew she was the one you wanted to marry?”

Elrond began to tell the story and Ruby was listening intently. She watched as his eyes sort of glazed over as he remembered the precious moment. _Perfect._ She had hoped that a question about Celebrìan would distract him easily, and it had.

It was actually a really nice story. Ruby found herself getting lost in it until she caught a glimpse of the twins through the balcony doorway behind Elrond and one of them was holding an actual live chicken. Ruby had to quickly look away and keep her expression schooled so that she wouldn’t give them away.

Those elves were nothing if not creative. A chicken in Elrond’s office, Ruby only wished she could see his face when he realized there was a chicken in there, but then she would get caught and that was no fun. So, Ruby made sure to maintain eye contact with Elrond as he explained. It was so fucking hard not to laugh as she watched Elladan slowly lower the chicken onto the floor inside the office in her peripheral vision.

Then, it occurred to her how risky this prank was. One noise from the chicken and they would be found out. She was sure that she was beginning to sweat as she sat there trying not to be so tense. Her only hope, was that Elrond would continue to talk until the twins were in the clear, then she could get the heck out of there. Luck was, however, not on her side because Elrond’s story finished just as the twins were creeping out the balcony doorway—both of them froze as silence filled the room. Ruby glanced at the twins then back to Elrond. She had to say something. Fast!

“Wh—where do babies come from!?” She blurted taking everyone by surprise, herself included. Ruby mentally kicked herself. Out of all the questions she could have asked, it had to be _that_ one. Fuck.

“You do not know?” Elrond asked somewhat concerned.

“That _is_ what that question implies.” Ruby suppressed a wince. Hopefully, they twins would leave soon so she wouldn’t have to go through the ‘Talk’ with Elrond. No thank you.

“Well, I suppose that is something you should know.” Then he began to say things that Ruby didn’t want to hear from him. It seemed the twins didn’t want to hear that either because they got out of there before Ruby could blink. Once they were clear, Ruby interrupted.

“Oh, that’s right! I had forgotten.” She smacked her forehead and got up from her chair. “I’m so sorry for bothering you, this has been very…informative.” Then she got out of there as fast as she could without running.

They had been so lucky that the chicken hadn’t made any noise, but that prank was honestly amazing, and Ruby was impressed. She met up with the twins at the spot they had agreed on and both parties promptly broke out into laughter.

“Just imagining his face when he hears it! I can’t, oh my God!” Ruby blurted out between bouts of laughter. There were tears running down her face and she was clutching her stomach which was beginning to ache.

It was a good long while before they had calmed down because when one started to laugh, the other two joined in. Eventually, they were able to talk about their recent escapade.

“Ruby, why did you ask where babies came from?” Elrohir questioned once he had caught his breath. Of course that would be the first thing they asked. Ruby felt her cheeks redden slightly.

“I don’t know why I asked that! I honestly thought he would talk about your mother longer.” Ruby buried her face in her hands.

“You already knew the answer, right?” Elladan asked with a small frown.

“Of course I knew! It was just the first thing that popped into my head because I saw you two and you’re his sons.” She explained. “I can’t believed we actually pulled that off! Also, where the hell did you two get a chicken?”

“We bought it.” Elladan shrugged and Ruby shook her head with a chuckle.

“What do you want to do now?” She asked, laying down on the soft grass.

“We should prank someone else.” Elrohir sighed and laid next to Ruby.

“Yes.” Elladan agreed and took the empty spot on Ruby’s left. The three pranksters laid in silence as the sun shone down on them. Then, Ruby suddenly had a terrific idea.

“Oh! You know who we haven’t pranked yet? Erestor and Glorfindel.” Ruby smirked evil at the plan that was taking form in her head. “I think I have an idea where we can get both of them with the same prank. Listen closely.”

…

They decided that the prank would be better after dinner because Erestor would have vacated the library, so it would be easier to convince him to go with Ruby into Glorfindel’s room. The plan was to trap Erestor in Glorfindel’s closet so that the blond would find a supremely grumpy elf inside. The twins had both approved and offered to hid in Glorfindel’s room so that they could shut the doors and slide something through the handles once Ruby got the elf inside the closet.

Unfortunately, due to their earlier activities, dinner was extremely awkward in Ruby’s opinion. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Elrond’s eyes even though she desperately wanted to ask about the chicken. She was sure that her face was slightly flushed during the entire thing.

As soon as dinner came to a close, Ruby winked at the twins and took off after Erestor. She managed to catch up with him in the hallway—he had surprisingly large strides. “Wait up!” She called as she finally matched his pace. “So, I’ve been thinking that you, sir, are much too busy and should take a break. You do know that after dinner, a bunch of people gather in the Hall of Fire and listen to people sing and tell stories.”

“Yes.” He muttered, not bothering to glance in her direction.

“You should go every now and then, it would be good for you! Glorfindel always goes and usually stays for at least an hour.” Ruby mentioned. They were approaching the corridor that had the entrance to Glorfindel’s chambers and Ruby was trying her best not to fiddle with the hem of her shirt.

“I have work that needs to be done.” He always had work that needed to be done it seemed. Ruby scowled at him as they walked for a little while in silence.

As they were passing Glorfindel’s door, Ruby stopped suddenly and hissed, “Did you hear that?”

“No.” Erestor said after he paused for a moment.

“There it was again!” Ruby whispered. “It’s coming from that room.”

“That is Glorfindel’s chambers.” Erestor stated emotionlessly.

“Glorfindel is in the Hall of Fire!” Ruby spoke in a hushed tone as she grabbed Erestor’s arm and tugged him to the door. “Come on, we should investigate.”

“That does not seem wise.” Erestor stated calmly. “Perhaps Glorfindel returned early this evening.” Why did he have to be so goddamn _logical_ all the time? Somehow, Ruby was able to stop herself from glaring at him.

“No, it didn’t sound like Glorfindel. You really don’t hear that!?” Ruby cracked the door open and dragged Erestor into the room. “It’s coming from over there.” She pointed at the closet that was against the far wall of the room.

“I do not hear anything, and I have stuff that I need to do.” Erestor tried to gently tug his arm out of her grasp, but Ruby pulled him firmly over to the closet. She was so close to pulling this off and he was not going to fuck this up now that they were so close.

“Let’s just quickly look inside just to be sure.”

“Fine.” Ruby almost hesitated when he agreed. It had taken her by surprise.

She opened the doors as wide as they would go and pushed the clothes that were hanging in there to the sides. Suddenly, she felt two small hands shove her forwards and she heard Erestor let out a startled noise. It took her less that a second to realize that she had been played by _fucking_ _children_ and Ruby was not pleased. Not at all.

“This wasn’t part of the plan, you little rascals!” She cried out as the doors shut behind her, basking her and Erestor in darkness. She could hear the twin’s giggles fade as they left her there, pounding on the closet door. Man, did she have some not-so-child-friendly words for them.

She sighed in defeat and turned to see a very grumpy Erestor in the dim light being allowed in from the door. She smiled sheepishly until she noticed how cramped the closet really was. There was barely a foot between her and Erestor and he seemed to be standing just in front of the furthest side.

Ruby could feel the panic begin to well up in her chest as the clothes hanging on both sides made the space stuffy and the walls seemed to push in closer. She pushed herself against the closet doors as much as she could, but it just seemed like the space was getting smaller by the second.

“I do not appreciate the antics you and the twins have involved me in. I am very busy, and this is a waste of my…” Erestor seemed to pause in his rant and notice that Ruby was having a crisis. “…are you alright?” He asked hesitantly.

Ruby didn’t hear him. She couldn’t hear anything but her heartbeat throbbing in her ears. She was back in that stupid coffin; she was trapped, and she was suffocating.

She shoved her shoulder into the door as hard as she could and when that failed, she began to scratch at the seam of the door. Her nails cracked and bled but she kept trying to get some leverage. She only stopped when she was pulled away from the door.

“Stop that!” Erestor cried, his eyes flicking between her bloody fingers and the claw marks on the door in horror. He pushed her away again as she tried to go back to the door. This time her back hit the wall of the closet and Ruby dug her jagged nails into her scalp, holding her head.

Ruby felt her chest tighten as her lungs heaved breath after breath, but it just didn’t seem to be enough. She slid down the side of the closet until she sat on the ground, her knees tucked to her chin as she closed her eyes tightly and gently rocked herself back and forth.

“Ruby?” Erestor asked surprisingly gently, but to Ruby it sounded like he was underwater. “Cassiopeia.” He spoke more firmly, and Ruby broke down into shaky sobs, hot tears rolling down her face.

“I…there’s…” She choked out incoherently. Through her blurry vision, Ruby could see Erestor’s stricken face which made her cry harder.

She tensed was she felt hands grab her shoulders, but quickly felt herself start to relax. The hands were softly rubbing her arms, they felt reassuring and steady, which Ruby needed. It wasn’t long before she was wrapped in Erestor’s arms and Ruby gripped his tunic tightly, burying her face in his chest.

As her sobs subsided, Ruby could hear a soft melody in her ear. It was a sad and beautiful song that she couldn’t understand, but it resonated with her. She soon realized that it was Erestor singing. She had never heard him sing before, but she liked it. He had a wonderful voice, not that it surprised her in the least.

Ruby gasped a couple of long breaths and was finally able to fully relax. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had a full-blown panic attack like that. It had taken her by surprise, and when she looked up at Erestor’s face, she could tell it had taken him be surprise too.

“What happened, _Polodren er_?” He asked, his brows drawn together.

“I—” Ruby began, but her voice cracked.

“Shh. You are weary, please rest.”

Ruby wanted to protest, but she was exhausted. She let her eyes drift shut, the warmth from his arms and his soothing whispers lulling her into a peaceful slumber, for once.

…

Ruby was roused by the sound of the closet door opening. She immediately shot up and stumbled towards the light, not even seeing the surprised face of a certain blond warrior at the entrance. She climbed out of the godforsaken closet and threw herself at the balcony. It was dark outside, and Ruby sighed in relief as she saw the stars glittering above her in a wide, open space.

“Ruby? Erestor?” The golden warrior questioned. “What, pray tell, were you both doing in my closet?” Glorfindel’s eyebrows raised skeptically as if he couldn’t believe that he had to ask such a question.

“The twins.” Erestor said blandly, his cool, grumpy demeanor returning.

“Ah.” Glorfindel nodded with understanding. “Were you in there long? If you do not mind me saying, Ruby looks quite…distressed.”

Ruby turned to face them, her tear stained cheeks and red eyes had given her moment of weakness away. She hated how he looked at her, so tentatively and unsure. Ruby scrubbed at her face with her blood covered hands and quickly tucked them behind her back “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” She rasped; her throat felt all scratchy.

“Ruby.” Surprisingly, this came from Erestor. His tone betraying that he believed that she was indeed _not_ fine.

“I’m fine.” She insisted angrily, her glare focused on the dark-haired elf who was wholly undisturbed by it.

“I will talk to the twins. This will not happen again.” Erestor stated with a frown, his eyes glittering with irritability.

“No!” Ruby cried out half-desperate and half-angry. “You will not speak of this to anyone! Neither will you.” She turned her glare onto Glorfindel who raised his hands in a placating manner, his eyes widening with innocence. If she hadn’t been so angry Ruby would have rolled her eyes.

“Ruby.” Erestor glared at her. “What happens when I am not with you next time?”

Rage burned in her chest and pain flared in the tips of her fingers as she clenched her hands into fists.

“I’ll be fine. It _won’t_ happen again.” Ruby seethed. He opened his mouth as it to respond, but Ruby took off, storming out of the room before he could.

Erestor stood stoically next to Glorfindel, staring at the empty doorway Ruby had gone through. “What happened in there?” The blond asked warily.

“She was afraid.” Erestor frowned deeper. “I have never seen her…She just lost it and then curled into herself and wept, unhearing and unseeing.” His eyes became distant as he remembered how pale and distraught Ruby had been.

“Because she was trapped with you?” Glorfindel asked skeptically. Erestor shook his head mournfully as his eyes met Glorfindel’s.

“Because she was trapped.” Erestor corrected as he showed the state of the inside of the closet door to Glorfindel whose eyes widened in shock at the sight of the bloodied gouges in the wood.


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby wanted to kick something. She had probably ruined everything because she had been scared to be inside a fucking closet. It wasn’t even _that_ small either. How pathetic. Hank would’ve been so disappointed at her display of weakness; he would have whipped her ass into shape for crying like a little baby.

God, what must they think of her? She worked so hard to be thought of as strong—to really believe that _she,_ herself, was strong—only to be brought to tears for being shoved into a closet. She was so stupid. Ruby couldn’t be strong if she cried after being trapped in a closet, she couldn’t be strong if some idiot like Mick had killed her. She had been fooling herself.

Erestor and Glorfindel now knew what a fake she was. They would probably question her about where she had come from and now they knew that all they had to do was threaten to lock her in a small space and she would spill her guts because the thought of being back in that closet made her shiver with fear. Ruby was terrified of waking up back in that coffin. Her nightmares about it were almost worse than the ones about her death. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but the lack of sleep and nightmares were wearing her down.

Ruby stumbled in the direction of her room, sight blurring from the tears she refused to let fall. She wanted to scream, to release all the emotion that was bubbling up inside of her, but she shoved it aside. She wouldn’t let her weakness show again. Ruby couldn’t afford to.

Surely, the elves were going to be suspicious of her if they hadn’t been already. Erestor would probably try twice as hard to get her to answer his questions about her home or maybe they would try to get rid of her altogether. The elves didn’t need her fucking up their nice calm vibes with her emotional bullshit. She had really fucked up. Ruby couldn’t believe how she had broken down in front of Erestor like that. Why did she have to be such a fucking mess?

Her composure was crumbling, and all Ruby wanted was to be numb to all her pain—to forget about all her problems for just a moment. Then, she had a wonderfully stupid idea. _Alcohol_. She needed to find some alcohol.

Finding the food storage area proved to be a more difficult task than Ruby had been suspecting. She wandered around for about an hour before she stumbled upon a room that looked somewhat kitchen-like. The kitchen room had a large pantry-type thing connected to it by a flight of stairs and sure enough, there was a large rack of wine along one of the walls.

Ruby wasn’t a huge wine drinker, but she needed to get drunk, so there wasn’t really a point in being fussy. She grabbed the first bottle she saw and opened it. Ruby was immediately struck with the scent of strong alcohol and grinned. Perfect.

She headed back in the direction of her room, sneaking some sips when she was sure that no one would see her. Ruby was almost to her room when she began to feel buzzed. Fuck, this shit was _strong_. So much so, that Ruby never even reached her room.

…

She had only a quarter of a bottle of wine and man, was she feeling it. She could barely restrain the giggles that threatened to burst out of her. She had decided that she should go find Erestor instead of going to her room.

In her drunken state, she felt like she needed to make up for how she had acted after the whole ‘closet’ incident. He had been so sweet when she had been freaking out and had managed to calm her down. Then, she had been rude when she had left, and the guilt had been eating away at her more than she’d like to admit. Ruby _needed_ to apologise to the grumpy elf.

Ruby stumbled into the library, leaving the now-half-empty bottle on a bookshelf near the entrance. Erestor would definitely not approve of her, erm, _drinking habits_. The thought of his disapproving scowl made butterflies flutter in her stomach, causing the giggle to finally erupt from her.

“Oops.” Ruby chortled as she accidentally ran into a chair. She knew Erestor tended to stay up late in the library working and that he would be better off sleeping at this time of night. He needed more sleep, that silly elf. Ruby would talk some sense into him.

“Just what do you think you are doing?” An irritated voice drifted from a table in a secluded corner of the library. Ruby skittered over to Erestor’s side, sporting a dopey grin.

“There you are!” She poked his shoulder playfully. “I have something I need to tell you.”

“How much have you had to drink?” He glared at her and released a kind of long-suffering sigh.

“Enough.” Ruby couldn’t stop the naughty giggle that slipped past her wine-stained lips. Erestor shook his head and gave her the disapproving look that made her stomach flip pleasantly.

“What is it that you felt the need to tell me so late in the night that could not have waited until morning?” Erestor turned his eyes back to the papers in front of him. It was like he didn’t care what Ruby had to say.

Ruby harrumphed angrily and crossed her arms. She refused to say anything if her was not going to pay attention. And to think, she had come all the way here to do what was in his best interest.

“I am very busy, and I would appreciate if you would leave me to work in peace.” He gave her a glare.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Ruby bit out.

“You are lingering in my space, and it is quite irritating.” Ruby could stop the smirk that pushed its way onto her face.

“Aw. Does Erestor find me distracting?” Ruby drawled as she placed both her hands on his shoulders.

“Irritating.” She could feel him tense beneath her and was sure his glare had intensified.

“Damn, you need to relax.” She gently kneaded the tight muscles beneath her fingers.

“What are you doing?” His voice didn’t sound as angry as Ruby had been expecting it to be. Instead, it sounded somewhat curious.

“Massaging your muscles.” She could feel all kinds of knots and gently worked them out as best she could. Her intension had been to make up for her behaviour and Ruby supposed that this was probably easier than convincing him to get some sleep. “You should really stretch or exercise more, being cooped up in this chair all day has not been good for you.”

“Someone has to get work done.” Ruby could hear the frown in his voice.

“Taking a break is not going to stop you from getting things done.” Ruby was surprised that she could form such coherent thoughts, even if they were a little slurred when she delivered them.

She moved her hands to juncture of his neck but became distracted with his dark chocolate-y hair. It really felt a silky as it looked. She marveled at it as she ran her fingers through the dark strands. Ruby hadn’t even realised that Erestor had tensed again. “So pretty.” She mumbled in her drunken haze. Ruby often found herself staring at Erestor’s hair during dinner, it had become sort of a hobby over the past couple of weeks.

Ruby then caught sight of his delicately pointed ears. She eyed the gentle curve and without thinking, she began to massage his earlobes. She stopped when there was a sharp intake of breath, but when she heard no objections, she continued.

There was a soft groaning noise that made her stomach jump excitedly and Ruby let the tips of her thumbs lightly graze the pointed tips. The reaction was instant and much too fast for Ruby to follow, but the result was Erestor out of his chair and staring wide-eyed at her from the other side of the table.

Ruby glanced at her empty hands and then back to the heavily breathing advisor. “How’d you get over there?” She asked confused. Erestor said nothing, he didn’t seem to comprehend her question, but Ruby found his slightly flushed, astounded face amusing. She was beginning to feel drowsy, but Erestor’s speechless state was making her concerned. “You alright?” She slurred.

“I…I think you should go to bed.” He stated—his cool demeanor reappearing.

“ _You_ should go to bed, silly!” She retorted as she tried to walk around the table to him, only for him to counter her movements. “Stop that!” She giggled and ran faster, only for him to speed up as well. It escalated until she was outright chasing the irritated elf around the library.

“Go to bed, Cassiopeia!” His angry tone and her real name sobered her up slightly. Ruby stopped where she was, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“You don’t want me here?” She asked softly, not meeting his eyes because she was afraid of the anger and hate she might find there.

“Ruby.” The way he said her name was low and dangerous. Dangerous because she didn’t know what the tone meant, and it scared her. The silence they lapsed into was suffocating.

“Fine. I’ll leave you with your _work_ then.” She stumbled away, heading for the exit. She didn’t really know where she intended to go, but there was suddenly a hand firmly grasping her elbow, tugging her away from a shelf she would have collided with.

“Let me escort you to your chambers.” Erestor stated calmly. “Eru knows, you would not make it there on your own.”

Ruby was feeling sleepy enough that the comment didn’t piss her off like it should’ve. “Yeah, yeah, smart-ass.” She grumbled.

By the time they made it to the door, Ruby’s head was leaning on his shoulder. He was supporting most of her weight until she threw herself onto the comfy looking bed that was calling to her.

Erestor pulled the blanket until it covered her, tucking her nearly unconscious form in. Ruby drifted into a drunken sleep, not noticing as Erestor brushed a few strands of her hair off her forehead.

…

Ruby groaned as light streamed through her window and hit her directly in the face. Ugh. She felt like shit. Nausea hit her as she rolled over onto her side and kicked her blanket off. She was too damn hot—probably because she had slept with her clothes on.

Man, drunk Ruby was really inconsiderate. The bitch hadn’t even left a glass of water next to the bed. She let out another groan as she sat up and sighed. She had a splitting headache and her tongue was dry and trying to stick to the roof of her mouth. Gross.

Ruby needed water. Dehydration was taking its toll and her muscles were feeling kind of crampy. She slowly stood and went to the basin of water and splashed it on her face and drank a couple of handfuls. Then, Ruby made her way to her closet to change out of her wrinkled clothes from yesterday.

She really didn’t give two fucks if the clothes matched, she just wanted to nibble on some bread so that her stomach would settle the fuck down. Ruby then stumbled to the hall where she assumed the midday meal would be taking place shortly.

She knew she must look god-awful, but Ruby couldn’t care less if her hair was unbrushed and that she was squinting like an old woman trying to read the paper. Had it always been so fucking bright in here? God. Ruby slumped into her seat and ignored the worried look Glorfindel was giving her. All she wanted was water and bread. She just reclined as best she could and placed a hand over her eyes to block out the brightness that was making her head want to explode.

“Are you alright, Ruby?” Celebrìan asked tentatively.

“Peachy.” Ruby grumbled not moving from her current position.

“If you are sure.” Celebrìan was definitely frowning, but Ruby was in too much pain to do anything about it. Did Celebrìan always talk so loudly? Jeez.

Food was served shortly after and Ruby made sure to drink as much as she could without throwing up. She also nibbled on a small piece of bread and began to feel slightly less like shit. She set the second half of the bread on her plate and leaned back.

“That is all you are going to eat?” One of the twins asked. Ruby couldn’t be bothered to try to figure out which one it was.

“Yup.” She muttered. Ruby really wanted to crawl back into bed, but she didn’t want to be rude and leave while the others were still eating. Hell, maybe she would be rude. The thought of her bed was really enticing. _Fuck it_. “Cheers.” Ruby raised her glass of water, stood up, and left.

Was this what it was like to hit rock bottom? It sure as hell felt like it.

…

Ruby slept for the rest of they day. When she woke, she still felt like shit, but at least the headache was gone. It was dark out and she had no idea how much time had passed, but fuck, she was starving. She had missed dinner, no doubt.

Ruby felt slightly guilty about the way she had acted at lunch. She had been completely rude to her hosts and just because she had had a wicked hangover was no excuse for her behaviour. She would have to apologise at some point, but first, food.

Ruby threw some clothes on and began the hike to the kitchen-like room she had gotten the wine from yesterday. Looking back, getting wine-drunk probably wasn’t a good way to cope with her emotional instability. Hell, when she got to the kitchen, Ruby felt nauseated just looking at the bottles of wine along the far wall. Never again.

She began to search through the food she could see and settled on stuffing her face with bread and cheese. She even managed to eat a whole loaf all by herself. Ruby honestly was craving for ice cream, but it seemed that that was not an item that the elves were aware of.

Ruby needed to clean her act up. Enough of this weak shit, she needed to buckle down and face her fears like the strong person she needed to become. No more getting drunk or crying in closets. She was going to train harder than she had before, no more distractions. No more pranking, no more sitting with Celebrìan in the garden, and no more staring at Erestor’s hair.

Ruby cleaned up after herself and headed back to her room so that she could begin planning her new work out regimen.

…

For the next two weeks, Ruby implemented her plan. She still woke up at ungodly hours of the morning due to her nightmares, but instead of running until she dropped, Ruby would do muscle training then run until she threw up. Then, she would work on her flexibility.

She would stop for food, but then she would get back at it until she had gone so far passed her limits that she could barely walk back to her room. Ruby would then try to sleep, only to have a nightmare and then the process would repeat.

She had never felt so tired and utterly sore, but she continued full-speed ahead. Ruby was done with tears and fear. She _would_ be strong. She was completing her stretches before going to lunch, when Glorfindel had appeared just as shiny and golden as ever.

“You cannot continue like this, Ruby.” He spoke frowning at her. “You are killing yourself.”

“I’m fine.” She bit back.

“No, you are _not_ fine.” He stressed.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“As your friend, I offer my opinion to you freely.” Glorfindel began to walk beside her as Ruby headed for the midday meal. “You must stop this destructive behaviour. You do nothing but exercise all day, every day and you no longer spend time with any of your friends. I have found that the key to health is balance. You cannot go on like this for much longer and I request that you merely take a break sometimes, please.”

“I spend time with you all at mealtimes, like right now.” Ruby reasoned. “Is that not enough?”

“You may be there, yes, but you do not make conversation. You simply eat then leave.”

“I don’t need this from you right now.” Ruby sighed. She figured that this talk was going to come, but she had assumed that Celebrìan would have done it. “I am capable of making my own decisions, so mind your own damn business.”

“Ruby, we miss you.” Glorfindel stepped in front of her—blocking her path so that she had to stop. “The twins believe that you are angry with them for locking you in my clo—”

“Don’t!” Ruby interrupted. “I am not angry with them, but I do believe I asked you to not mention _that_ to anybody, which includes me.”

“Ruby.” But she didn’t want to hear it, so she brushed passed him and sat at the table and ate in silence, not meeting the eyes of any of the elves around her.

So maybe she was being rude and snappy, but she was too exhausted to bother to make an effort to be polite. She could apologise for her behaviour after she deemed herself strong enough, but she hadn’t reached that point yet and she didn’t know if she ever would.

Ruby left once she had finished eating and went back to training. Pushing herself harder and harder. She could still hear Hank yelling at her that she was weak and needed to up her game. Ruby kept going until she collapsed on the ground.

She _would_ be strong.


	8. Chapter 8

Ruby felt like shit.

Everything hurt and she really didn’t want to get up. She had spent the night passed out on the ground after she had pushed herself, admittedly, too hard. She let a groan pass through her lips as she rolled onto her back. She could feel the morning dew soak into her shirt, and she shivered. She had been wrong; _this_ was rock bottom.

Maybe Glorfindel had been right. Ruby needed a small break; it wouldn’t do her well to strain a muscle and have to wait for it to heal. Maybe she could wait until after the midday meal to begin her work out.

Ruby let out a louder groan as she stood—all her muscles screaming in protest. Eventually, she hobbled over to the garden and much to her surprise, a familiar elf sat upon the bench she was heading for.

“What are you doing here so early?” She asked Erestor as she left her body fall onto the bench.

“I am here most days.” He spoke calmly, not bothering to glance at her which was probably for the best. Ruby probably looked worse than she felt if that was even possible. “I like to watch the sun rise.”

“Nice.” Ruby nodded slightly but stopped when pain shot through her neck. For fuck’s sake.

They lapsed into silence and Ruby let herself drift into a state where she wasn’t fully asleep, but not totally conscious either. The passed two weeks had been hell, mostly because she had gotten an average of like four hours of sleep per night. For some reason, having Erestor beside her, made her feel…calm.

“Why are you here?” He asked suddenly, making Ruby jolt awake. She winced as pain shot through her body before resuming her slumped position.

“Eh, I kind of woke up a little ways over there and was going to wait until Celebrìan got here.” Ruby shrugged and then winced at her movement. Erestor seemed confused by her words and turned to look at her for the first time, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. “What? It can’t be that bad.” Ruby settled for rolling her eyes because it was the only movement that didn’t hurt.

“Why did you wake up over there?” Erestor asked as if he knew the answer but hoped he was wrong.

“I kind of…collapsed, I guess.” Ruby let her head fall back and closed her eyes. She still managed to hear him sigh and it sounded…sad? “I’ll be fine.”

“You should go to your room and rest, Ruby.”

“Too far.” She groaned at the thought of trudging all the way there. Yeah, that wasn’t going to fucking happen.

She barely even remembered that Erestor was still there next to her as Ruby let the world fade away—the exhaustion finally catching up with her.

…

Ruby woke up to the sun shining in her face. Wow, that was the best sleep she had gotten in a long time. Maybe she should sleep on garden benches more often. She yawned and sat up. Erestor had left at some point, but apparently he had been nice enough to leave fancy overcoat thing for her to rest her head on. Aw, the grump cared even though she had been a grade A bitch for the passed couple of weeks.

Ruby took the nicely folded fabric and tried to brush off some of the dirt she had gotten on it. She only partially succeeded. She then found herself pressing the fabric to her face and inhaling the scent of paper and ink with traces of pine. Ruby smiled to herself as she glanced around the garden and let the Rivendell peacefulness wash over her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this relaxed and happy. Man, she really needed to get more sleep if this was the outcome. It was nice.

Ruby let herself bask in the sunlight with a grin. She would stay here and talk with Celebrìan when she came and then maybe she would go find the twins and apologise for being such an asshole. Man, Ruby really had been absolutely awful to everyone.

About an hour later, Celebrìan made her appearance. Much to Ruby’s surprise, Celebrìan seemed like she had been expecting Ruby there. They sat in silence for a good long while before Ruby worked up the nerve to speak.

“I know I have been a terrible person to everyone, and I would just like to say that I’m truly sorry for my behaviour and you guys don’t deserve to be treated like that.” Ruby apologised as she messed with Erestor’s robe-thing. It had taken a bit of sleep to provide some clarity, but Ruby now knew that she needed to reel it in a bit and make amends.

“I accept your apology, but I am not the only one that needs to hear it.” Celebrìan smiled at her.

“I know.” Ruby sighed. “What happened to me, Celebrìan? I’m not normally such a raging bitch.”

“I do think that in order to live a happy and healthy life, one needs to have a well-rounded day. I, myself, like to divide my time so that I spend time with my husband, sons, friends, and myself equally.” Celebrìan explained.

“Balanced.”

“Exactly.” Celebrìan nodded.

“Funny, Glorfindel said something similar.” Ruby frowned as she remembered their conversation yesterday. Man, she had been so mean to him and he was just trying to snap her out of it.

“Perhaps that is because it is true.” Celebrìan smiled as she watched a bee fly by.

“I just…I was trying to improve myself. I wanted to be stronger, so I trained.” Ruby frowned.

“Did you get stronger?”

“No.” Ruby had never felt more tired and drained—she had been sore and miserable the entire time.

“Then, I believe you should try something different.” Celebrìan smiled with a wise, knowing smile of someone who had made mistakes and learned from them. It was a simple solution, but it made sense. What she was doing wasn’t accomplishing her goal, so she should try something else. Smart.

“Huh. Anymore words of wisdom?”

“It is always a good idea to know where Elladan and Elrohir are at all times.” Ruby snorted at that. It would be impossible to know where they were all the time, they were so full of energy all the time. Ruby herself, had found it hard to keep up with them when she joined them for pranks.

“I still can’t believe you have survived as the mother of those terrors. How do you do it? Children are so exhausting!”

“You learn from experience.”

“I have extremely limited experience with children. Basically all my knowledge is based on the fact that I was, at one point in my life, a child.” Ruby shrugged and Celebrìan laughed, which was a beautiful sound.

“You seemed to be doing just fine.” Celebrìan grinned. “Elrond mentioned something about a chicken.”

“Pfft. There is no proof that I had anything to do with that. On a side note, I do in fact know where babies come from.” Celebrìan laughed again and Ruby couldn’t help but join her. She couldn’t help but realise how much she had missed this. “You know, I had never really thought about having children. I had never had the time and I had never met the right person, but I think I would want them if I had the opportunity.”

“They are a gift, even though it may not seem that way at times.” Celebrìan smiled kindly.

“Who knows, by the time I meet someone, it may be too late.” Ruby shrugged. She was almost twenty-eight and had never been in a serious relationship. By the time she met someone and got married, she would probably be passed her prime.

“I find that love is unexpected.” Celebrìan stated in a way that made Ruby feel reassured. She was what her mother should have been. Not that she didn’t love her mother, Ruby did, but her mother was…difficult.

“I kind of stopped believing in love.” Ruby frowned in recollection of her younger years. “When I was born, my father hadn’t been in the picture. My mother had been young—some might say foolish—when she got pregnant. Her parents disowned her because of it. After I had been born, she had been so strong and had taken care of me despite having nothing. She worked long hours so that she could afford to put a roof over our heads and when I was ten, she met someone. His name was Leon and my mother was convinced he was perfect.”

“But he was not perfect.” Celebrìan guessed when Ruby hesitated.

“He filled her head with sweet nothings and had told her he would make everything better and for a while, he did, but it didn’t last. He eventually showed his true colours, but my mother, no matter how many times he hit her, hit me, she wouldn’t stop believing the lies he told her about how he didn’t mean to, that he would stop, that he loved her. Anyways, she’s still convinced he loves her and that she loves him. I decided that if that was what love was, I didn’t want it.” Ruby shook her head. She had been young and impressionable and now that she was older she could recognise that her mother was stuck in a toxic relationship, but no matter how many time she tried to convince her to leave, she never did.

However, for some reason, Ruby still never really believed in love. If her grandparents had loved her mother, they would’ve forgiven her for her mistakes, and they wouldn’t have left her with nothing. If her step-father had loved her mother, he wouldn’t abuse her. If her mother really loved her, why didn’t she trust Ruby enough to leave Leon and go live with her? Ruby didn’t think she had ever really experienced love, so how would she know if it existed?

“That is not love.” Celebrìan stated softly and gentle placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Love is like the will of nature. It cannot be persuaded or prevented from taking the course it has decided on and when you feel it, it cannot be easily ignored. Nor should it be, for it is a wonderful feeling. It connects you to others with a bond of trust and care.”

“Then why did my mother stay with Leon when I tried to get her to go with me? Why didn’t she love me enough to leave?” Ruby choked on the last couple of words as she tried to fight back the tears.

“Ruby, your mother loves you.” Celebrìan insisted. “You are her child, as a mother, I can tell you that the bond between mother and child is strong and it would take a lot to break it. You have just told me that she worked hard to give you a home, that she had nothing, yet she still tried. She could have abandoned you, but she didn’t because she loved you.”

“I—” Ruby began but broke down into tears before she could speak. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so weepy. It could just be because I’m so tired.” She spat out between sobs.

“Crying is a good emotional release, Ruby.” Celebrìan reassured her. “If you are having trouble sleeping, I can ask my husband to brew you a tea to help you.”

“Thank you, that would be great.” Ruby hiccupped.

Ruby didn’t know how long she sat there next to Celebrìan crying, but she was pretty sure they had missed the midday meal. It didn’t surprise her that some elves had come looking for Celebrìan, since she never missed a meal.

“Nana?” An elfling called.

“Yes?” Celebrìan responded as the twins appeared in the garden. Ruby hugged Erestor’s robe-thing to her chest and sniffled as she tried to wipe away the evidence of her crying.

“Where were you? We were—what happened to Ruby?” Elrohir asked with a small frown.

“Are you still mad at us for pranking you, Ruby?” Elladan gave her the sweetest face and Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle and wipe her eyes.

“No, I was never mad at you two.” She admitted. “I’m sorry I ever made you think I was. I have been acting foolishly and your mother was helping through some stuff. Sorry for keeping her.”

“Are you going to stop looking so angry now?” Elrohir asked.

“And be nice again?” Elladan added.

“Hopefully.” Ruby laughed. She had missed the twins and their somewhat inappropriate questions. “I would also like to hangout with you two again, if you’ll have me?”

“Yes!” They shouted in unison and pulled her to her feet. It took everything Ruby had not to scream in agony as her muscle protested. _Fucking hell_.

The afternoon was spent playing with the twin and running around—well, trying to run around in Ruby’s case. Eventually, they had to get ready for dinner and Ruby was in dire need of getting washed up. So, they parted ways and Ruby headed for her room, but stopped when she realized that she had left Erestor’s robe-thing on the bench and swung by to pick it up.

…

Ruby had planned on finding Glorfindel before dinner so she could apologise, but he hadn’t been in his room. The golden-haired elf didn’t normally loiter in his room too often, but Ruby had hoped that she wouldn’t have to go looking for him. She was far to sore.

Ruby, instead, found herself at the table for dinner next to an empty seat. It seemed that Glorfindel had gone for another guard rotation and Ruby knew subconsciously that he would come back, but she still had an irrational fear that he would be killed and the last words she would have said to her friend would be cruel.

For the rest of the dinner, Ruby couldn’t help the churning feeling in her gut, so she didn’t end up eating very much. She did, however, get to apologize to Elrond for her behaviour, which took a load off her shoulders. She was sure she looked positively sick throughout the entire meal, but everyone was nice enough not to mention it.

Ruby returned to her room feeling somewhat defeated. She hadn’t even allowed herself to admire Erestor’s hair as a sort of punishment. She was quite surprised to see Edegil there—the elf had made herself quite sparse during the last couple of weeks and Ruby was sure that it was her fault. She must have said or done something—that seemed to be the general trend of the past few weeks.

Ruby did her best to smile at the elf friendly, but she was still feeling guilty about Glorfindel, so it probably looked more like a grimace. Edegil smiled back and Ruby felt a smidgen of relief—maybe Edegil had just been busy. They both stay silent for a moment and Ruby decided that she would take the first step towards friendship.

Ruby made her way to the window and gestured for Edegil to follow. The sun had just set, and the stars were becoming visible. Ruby was glad that the window to her room was facing north and she gazed upon her constellation fondly—remembering Celebrìan’s words about her mother earlier.

“My mother named me after that group of stars there.” Ruby pointed at the constellation with a far-off look in her eyes. “It’s called Cassiopeia after a vain queen who had boasted that she was more beautiful than the daughters of the titan Nereus. As punishment, the sea god sent Cetus, a sea monster.” Ruby pointed out the stars that made up Cetus. “To appease the sea god, she sacrificed her daughter to the monster. A pretty heartless thing to do if you ask me.” Ruby spoke smiling to herself with self-loathing at the irony of it, though it probably looked more like she was baring her teeth.

“We call that group of stars _Wilwarin_. It means butterfly.” Edegil explained softly as she gazed at the night sky. “I am named after those stars there. _Edegil_ means ‘Seven Stars’ and was meant to challenge Melkor.” Ruby didn’t know who Melkor was, but she recognised the constellation Edegil had pointed at, it was a famous one.

“We call that Ursa Major or the Great Bear.” Ruby explained. “One of the stories that explains it is that there was a beautiful maiden named Callisto who had captured the attention of Jupiter, the god of the heavens. Callisto and Jupiter had a son together and Juno, the wife of Jupiter, was enraged by this. She turned Callisto into a bear. One day, Arcas—the son—was hunting and came across his mother and fired an arrow. Jupiter saw this and turned Arcas into a bear as well. Then, before the arrow could find it’s mark, Jupiter grabbed both bears by the tail and flung them into the heavens. Ursa Major is Callisto and Ursa Minor, those stars over there, is Arcas, her son.”

Ruby liked to think that, maybe, if she had finish her education, she could have been an astronomer. She had always loved to look at the stars. Of course, she would never know now, and she wasn’t one to really dwell on the ‘what if’s.’

“Your people have very interesting stories, but it seems they are all tragic.” Edegil stated with a frown. “Neither story has a happy ending.”

“How about I tell you a happy story then?” Ruby grinned.

“I would like that.” Edegil looked at Ruby with intrigue.

Ruby felt a sense of calmness wash over her as she recounted some happy stories that her mother had told her when she had been little. It had been nice to take some time for herself today, Maybe her new work out regime was a bit ridiculous—Ruby could see that now. Tomorrow she’d heed the advice of her friends, she would start fresh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support in the comments! The part about the constellations I owe to deathherselfie for letting me know that the stars in Arda are the same as the one we have. Thanks for the inspiration!


	9. Chapter 9

It had been almost a week and Ruby still hadn’t gotten to apologise to Glorfindel. Apparently, he would be back soon, according to Celebrìan—Ruby could still feel guilt eating away at her, though.

Ruby had been attempting the whole ‘balanced day’ thing and so far she her schedule consisted of a morning workout for a couple hours, sitting with Celebrìan in the garden until lunch, and then Ruby would hang out with the twins for a bit. Next, she would go to dinner and then trade stories with Edegil in her room. After that, she usually snuck into the library and watched a certain elf work. Inconspicuously, of course.

Ruby’s mood had been substantially better since she had abandoned her ridiculous workout regime. The tea that Elrond made her every night was also a large contributing factor as well. Her nightmares were becoming more of a rare, every so often, occurrence instead of a nightly, all the damn time, disturbance. When she did have them, Ruby still felt like shit for the day because of her lack of sleep and had a general feeling of uneasiness that the nightmares caused.

Ruby had woken up in a cold sweat this morning—thinking that she had been back in that coffin. It was why she was having such a miserable day today. It was also the day that Erestor seemed to get fed up with her bullshit excuses and decided that they would have another session where he asked her questions and Ruby would try to answer as vaguely as possible. Yeah, today was currently kicking her ass.

“What do you mean your profession is ‘classified?’” He asked in a somewhat exasperated manner. Erestor had be trying to get her to tell him what she did for a living for the past ten minutes and hadn’t fallen for any of her subtle topic changes. That elf was a piece of work.

“It means that I can’t tell you.” Ruby crossed her arms over her chest. Her job wasn’t technically ‘classified,’ but it _was_ illegal, and she felt that it wouldn’t be well-received. Fighting people for money and entertainment wasn’t particularly respectable and Ruby didn’t want to face Erestor’s judgement. Especially not with how she…erm, _felt_ about him.

Yes, Ruby had begun to develop a bit of a school-girl crush on the unsuspecting elf. Probably because he was adorably grumpy all the time and, you know, incredibly attractive. It didn’t help that one of her favourite thing to do was to just look at him. Man, she must seem really creepy. Ruby felt herself blush slightly due to her train of thought, but luckily Erestor was too consumed in his papers to notice, as usual.

“Why is that?”

“That’s classified too.”

“This is utterly ridiculous.” Erestor complained as he glared at Ruby with those beautiful grey eyes.

“Such is the way of my people.” Ruby winked. “Ask me something else.”

“Fine. What are common professions that are not classified?”

“Well, we have healers, guards, people who sell stuff, you know, the normal things.” Ruby shrugged.

“Is there any that are common that would be considered unusual compared to other villages?”

“Yes.” Ruby nodded. “Next question.”

“Well, what are they?” He frowned.

“What is what?” Ruby played dumb.

“You know what it is that I am referring to.” Erestor sighed in frustration.

“Sorry, my guy, that’s also classified.” Ruby shrugged and gave him her best ‘my hands are tied’ look. He didn’t seem convinced.

“I would have thought that you would be trying a bit harder to get back home.” He frowned in suspicion.

“What do you mean? I’m here talking to you aren’t I?” Ruby frowned at him in return.

“Yes, however, you do not answer anything sufficiently. One might think that you do not _want_ to go home.”

“You think that I don’t want to go back to where everything made sense to me, where my mother is, where my life is?” Ruby bit back, pressing her palms against the table and standing from her chair. Of course, she wanted to go home. She just…couldn’t.

“It seems so.” He remained calm and seated which made Ruby even angrier.

“I don’t care for your accusations!” She began to leave. “I’m not going to just stay here and listen as you prosecute me without all the facts.”

“Ruby, you will have to _help me_ if you want to find out how to get home.” Ruby heard him get up from his chair and follow her. She stopped and turned to glare at him as he spoke. “I cannot help you if you do not answer my questions.”

“I _can’t_ go back!” Ruby stressed, turning away from Erestor as she felt tears prick in her eyes. She had reached a point that she was _so_ _angry_ and worked up that she was going to cry.

“Why not?” His smooth voice making her want to tell him all her secrets. Then, it spilled out of her like word vomit.

“Because I _died_ , okay!” Ruby choked out, the tears falling. “I’m…I’m dead, Erestor.” She turned at looked at him with a cruel, twisted smile. “Do you get it now? I _can’t_ go back.” This was one of those times where she instantly wanted to take her words back. Why the _fuck_ had she told him that? Her anger had dissolved into fear and sadness, now she was breaking down into sobs.

Erestor opened and closed his mouth but said nothing. He was obviously not expecting that. Hell, she hadn’t really expected to tell him _that_.

“Come with me, please.” He asked tentatively. He seemed so out of his element that Ruby would have laughed if she wasn’t so distraught.

“Why not.” She sniffled wetly and threw her arms into a violent shrug. He obviously thought she was fucked in the head and was going to lock her away somewhere. Why resist the inevitable? If only she hadn’t opened her big mouth.

She followed him as he led her away from the library and they eventually came across Elrond’s study. Ruby recognised it from their first meeting. Erestor told her to wait at the door and when he went inside, she desperately tried to scrub the tear tracks off her face. She tried to listen for the voices inside, but she couldn’t hear anything. She must have stood there for a good couple of minutes before the door opened and Erestor gestured for her to enter. Ruby felt her stomach drop in terror as she slowly made her way inside.

It was so much like her interrogation all those weeks ago. Elrond was sitting behind his desk and Erestor took his seat next to Glorfindel, who must’ve already been there. This wasn’t how she had been expecting to meet him when he got back, but what did it matter now anyway? All three looked grim and Ruby played with the collar of her shirt as she sat down. Never had she been so aware of her scar before.

“Erestor had made us aware of what you claim.” Elrond began, his stare intense. “Would you please recount your experience.”

“I guess.” Ruby shrugged weakly. She had relived it enough times in her dreams to know what happened with clarity. “I had a fight. I won and was going to head home, but as I went to leave the building, I noticed that there was some activity at the rear exit. I was just going to creep past, but the two men returned before I could make it. I hid behind some crates, but that was what they were moving, you see. One of them began to head in the direction of my hiding place and I panicked.” Ruby hesitated.

“Please continue.” Elrond prompted, somewhat softer than Ruby was expecting.

“I jumped out at him and swung my bag at his face.” Ruby re-enacted her swing with her hands holding an imaginary bag. “I turned to bolt for the exit, but the strap of my bag got caught on the crate and…I fell. When I got up, the man pointed a gun in my face and said, ‘What do we have here?” Before she could continue, Glorfindel interjected with a question.

“What is a ‘gun.’” The other elves mirrored his confusion. _Shit._ Ruby had been trying to put things in terms that they would understand. She should’ve said bow and arrow, but then they probably would have called her out for lying.

“It’s a projectile weapon.” She scrunched her eyebrows in thought. How did one describe a gun? It’s not like she knew the exact mechanics of it either. “It’s like a bow and arrow, I guess, but smaller and you can hold it with one hand. It shoots a small chunk of metal when you pull the trigger with your finger.” Ruby tried to demonstrate with her hand, but the elves still seemed confused.

“Is this weapon deadly?” Erestor asked.

“Yes, very deadly.”

“And this is how you died?” Glorfindel questioned with sad eyes.

“No.”

“Then continue.” Elrond prodded gently.

“So, the guy with the gun, his name was Mick and his partner’s name was Joe. Well, Mick was trying to make money as a drug dealer, which is illegal where I’m from. The fact that I saw them, there base of operation, and knew their names—which they themselves told me—meant that I knew enough to get them caught.” Ruby explained and hoped they understood.

“What is a ‘drug dealer’ and why is it ‘illegal?’”

“That’s a big question that has a long answer, but I’m going to give the short one. Drugs are ingested and most are highly addictive. When ingested, people do crazy shit so taking or selling them is prohibited. Understood?” Ruby didn’t want this dragging on longer than necessary.

“Yes.” Elrond voiced aloud while the other two nodded.

“Great, so basically they ‘couldn’t’ let me leave because I knew too much.” Ruby rolled her eyes remembering all of Mick’s excuses. “I offered them money, I told them I wouldn’t tell anyone, but Mick wouldn’t change his mind. Joe, the sweet kid, tried to argue on my behalf, but Mick still didn’t listen. I tried to tell Joe that he should be doing something better with his life and the kid decided he would be a turtle veterinarian. Isn’t that cute?”

“Turtle veterinarian?”

“Uhh…turtle healer?” Ruby shrugged. That wasn’t particularly important to how she died. “Anyways, Joe finally stood up to Mick and the kid tried his best to shove him, but he was a small boy and it only made Mick angry. In a fit of rage, Mick smacked Joe across the face with the gun, knocking him out. Before Mick could point the gun back at me, I knocked it out of his hand and then he pulled out a knife.” Ruby swallowed thickly. “He attacked me, and I was doing my best to block him and fight back, but my opponent from my earlier fight managed to land some hits to my left side and I’m fairly sure he cracked a rib. Mick began to target my left and it wasn’t long before he landed a punch to my injury. I fell to my knees and he yanked my head back and pressed the knife to my throat…” Ruby trailed off and the room lapsed into silence.

“So this ‘Mick’ he…?” Glorfindel trailed off.

“He whispered in my ear, ‘Now you’re going to die, bitch’ and slowly dug the blade into my neck as I struggled in his grasp.” Ruby looked down at her lap and wrung her hands together. “After he finished, I faded out of consciousness and I woke up here. I hope Joe is doing alright though.” She tried to end it on a happy note but didn’t really succeed.

“Why did you keep this to yourself?” Erestor asked, his brows pinched together and his eyes sad. “You could have told us this when you arrived.”

“Where I’m from, you don’t just die and then you’re just suddenly alive again!” Ruby glared. “I’m surprised you don’t think I’ve totally lost it. You don’t, right?” She asked somewhat nervously.

“I sense no lie in your words.” Elrond nodded in reassurance.

“Phew, that’s good.” No elvish looney bin for her then.

“Why didn’t you tell us when you first got here?” Glorfindel asked with an eyebrow raised.

“I didn’t believe it at first.” She shrugged. “but then I saw this…” Ruby took a deep breath and tugged her shirt down far enough to expose the ugly scar. There was a sharp intake of breath and Ruby looked up to find three sets of surprised eyes.

“I know, I know, it’s hideous. Mick apparently didn’t know how to cut in a straight line.” She joked uncomfortably and tugged her collar back into its proper place.

“It is not ‘hideous,’ just unexpected.” Glorfindel reached forward and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“It is not unheard of for an elf to be returned after death. Glorfindel himself is among the few who have had such an experience. However, there is no record of an Edain ever returning.” Elrond explained and Ruby felt a tiny bit of weight lift from her shoulders.

“Really?” She asked Glorfindel.

“Yes.”

“How do you cope?” She asked with a hint of desperation. “Does it involve getting wine-drunk?” She made a face. Ruby was not going to be doing that again.

“No. I do not get ‘wine-drunk.’” Glorfindel rolled his eyes only for Elrond to let out a scoff. “I talk with my trusted friends. They help me bear my burden.”

“You can talk to any of us about this, Ruby.” Elrond smiled slightly.

“Is this your way of asking to be friends?” She grinned cheekily at him.

“I suppose.”

“You know what friends do, Elrond?” Ruby smirked evilly. “They tell stories of their other friends getting ‘wine-drunk.’”

“Absolutely not!” Glorfindel interjected as Elrond actually began to chuckle.

“Aw, c’mon Glorfy. I’m sure Erestor told you about the time I was drunk in the library.” Both elves turned to Erestor with a quizzical eyebrow raise. Ruby remembered enough of her drunk escapade to know that she had gone to find Erestor in the library, but what happened after was hazy, but she knew it probably wasn’t dignified.

“What is this, Erestor? Do share.” Glorfindel smiled and Erestor’s face tinged pink.

“You didn’t tell them! Oh, Erestor, you care about my dignity. That’s sweet.” Ruby teased and Erestor was very pink now.

“Well,” Elrond intervened. “I believe that this meeting is over. Unless, Ruby, there is something else you would like to tell us.”

“Well…” She trailed off, thinking about the coffin she had woken up in and the whole closet incident.

“Yes?”

“When you were brought back, how did you get here?” She asked Glorfindel. “I mean, where did you wake up?”

“I did not ‘wake up.” He answered calmly. “‘I was sent across the sea.”

“Oh, that would have been more pleasant.” Ruby winced.

“How did you ‘wake up’ as you put it?” Elrond asked curiously.

“Well, I was kind of in a wooden box that was a little larger than myself.” Ruby shuddered. “It was pitch black and nailed shut. I eventually punched my way out, but I don’t do well with small spaces anymore.”

“Where was this box?”

“It was buried a few feet under ground.” Ruby cringed. She could practically smell the dirt and pine and she noticeably shuddered.

“ _Buried!?_ ” Erestor gasped and Ruby nodded.

“That’s why my hands were so messed up when I got here and why I freaked out so much in Glorfindel’s closet.”

“You were in Glorfindel’s closet?” Elrond asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah…let’s not get into that right now.” Ruby bit her lip as she repressed the memory of her melt down.

“Very well. I thank you for opening up to us.” Elrond smiled at her and Ruby was surprised to find herself able to smile back. “I ask permission to inform Celebrìan of this development.”

“Go for it.” Ruby didn’t want to go through this again and Celebrìan deserved to know. She was a good friend.

“I would recommend that you go lay down, this conversation must have been tiring. Please, try to be calm, you have nothing to worry about.” Elrond nodded

“Thanks, you guys.” Ruby sniffled. This is not how she thought that this conversation was going to go, but this was a thousand times better than what she had thought. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Ruby left and found herself smiling as she made her way to her room. How had she made such understanding friends? She honestly felt so much lighter now that she wasn’t the only one who knew. It was like she was floating. The fact that Glorfindel had gone through something similar was definitely comforting. Speaking of which, she still had to apologise to him.

Ruby really couldn’t do that right now, so she would worry about that later. Right now, she was fucking exhausted. She was going to take the best nap of her life and hopefully wake up in time for dinner because she was beginning to feel a bit hungry. No doubt, she would be starving after her nap.

…

Ruby woke up from her nap in a fantastic mood. She really hadn’t known how much stress that the secret of her death had been causing. No wonder her subconscious had been plaguing her sleep with nightmares. Her nap had allowed her to feel refreshed and she was ready to go eat some food.

She began to get dressed when someone knocked on her door. Ruby quickly finished tugging her shirt on before going to answer it. She wasn’t particularly surprised to see Edegil’s face smiling at her, but Ruby didn’t like the look of the gown she was holding.

“Just what do you have there?” She drawled as she crossed her arms.

“Before you reject it, I have news that I must share.” Edegil breezed through the doorway and gently placed the dress on Ruby’s bed. “Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrìan had recommended that you have a private dinner with them this evening. You must look your best, so I have a dress for you.”

“And where did this dress come from on such short notice, hmm?” Ruby asked in suspicion.

“I may have requested for Seriel to make you and evening gown when she was making your other items.” Edegil at least had the decency to look a tad bit guilty.

“Fine. I’ll wear it.” Ruby sighed and gestured for Edegil to turn around. It was for one evening, what was the harm?

“Wonderful!” Edegil gushed as Ruby tried to navigate her way into the dress. This thing needed to come with some fucking instructions.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruby had to admit that the dress was absolutely gorgeous. It was a deep, emerald green with gold accents and the sleeves were long and flowed elegantly when she moved her arms. Edegil had braided her hair for her, sweeping the strands out of her face but letting the rest hang loose. She actually felt like she was beautiful, even if there was no mirror to confirm her beauty.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous about the dinner. Even though she had come clean about her death, Ruby still had an irrational fear that they would kick her to the curb. Why would they keep her around if she was just a waste of space? Its not like she actually did anything remotely useful around here.

Edegil seemed to catch onto the nervous energy Ruby was sure she was radiating. The elf tried to help by giving her a comforting smile as she led Ruby to where she would be dining. It didn’t really ease her nerves, though.

Much to Ruby’s surprise, Edegil dropped her off at Elrond’s study. It was kind of like having déjà vu as she stood there fidgeting. Ruby quickly knocked on the door and the door opened to reveal a smiling Celebrìan.

“Please, come in.” Celebrìan opened the door wide enough for Ruby to enter—the skirt of her dress trailing behind her. “You look radiant, Ruby.”

“Thanks, and you look beautiful, Celebrìan.” Celebrìan _always_ looked beautiful, she looked even better tonight but Ruby’s vocabulary lacked the correct words to describe it correctly.

“My thanks.”

“So I assume that Elrond…told you.” Ruby tried to smile, but knew it fell flat.

“Yes.” Celebrìan brushed her hand across Ruby’s arm in a comforting manner. “I hope you understand that I will be there for you if you need someone to talk to.”

“Yeah, I know.” Ruby felt tears well up in her eyes but blinked them away. She had never had friends like this—she really didn’t _deserve_ friends like this.

“We shall be having dinner on the balcony.”

“Cool.” Ruby followed her past Elrond’s desk and through the doorway. She couldn’t help but grin as she remembered the twins sneaking the chicken through here all those weeks ago.

Through the doorway, Ruby saw a beautifully ornate wooden table that had three place-settings. Elrond was looking out at the gorgeous view that was basked in a golden, sunlit-glow and he turned to smile at them. Ruby could see the love behind his gaze when his eyes landed on Celebrìan. If only _someone_ would look at her that way.

“You appear to be well-rested, Ruby.” Elrond stated calmly.

“Yeah, I needed that nap.” She smiled back. He seemed a lot less intimidating in this setting, which calmed Ruby down a bit. “So, what is the purpose for this dinner?”

“My wife seemed to think that a quiet meal might be needed after a day like yours.” Elrond answered and Ruby felt touched, but mostly relieved that this wasn’t one of the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talks. “I also wished to discuss the different possibilities that are open to you.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby tensed. Maybe it _was_ a talk where they subtly tell her to get the fuck out of their home.

“There are many lands where you may like to reside.” Elrond explained. “You may find that you wish to live among the Edain.” But Ruby didn’t want to. She liked it here and didn’t want to leave her friends. The other humans also sounded kind of primitive—not allowing women to fight if what Glorfindel told her was true.

“However, Imladris is a place of healing and you will have a place here if you wish.” Celebrìan added. “We would be glad to have you stay.”

Well, now she was getting some mixed signals. Did they really want her to stay or not? Ruby sighed in irritation as she realized that the only way to clear this up was to just be straight forward.

“Do you guys actually _want_ me to stay or are you just being polite?” Both elves looked at her with sadness…or was it pity? Elrond gestured for her to sit and Ruby sat in the chair as elegantly as she could as the elves sat in their respective places.

“Ruby, you are our friend.” Celebrìan stated. “We would miss you if you left, but we recognise that if you wish to live among your people, we will have to let you go.”

“Oh.” Ruby leaned back against her chair as she took in that information. They were just letting her know her options, they were not suggesting that she should leave, and it made her feel oddly validated. “The ‘Edain’ here are not my people. I would have no place with them, and I would like to stay here if you would have me.”

“Yes, you may stay here.” Elrond smiled and Ruby felt her chest warm.

“It would certainly make a pair of elflings happy.” Celebrìan exclaimed brightly.

“Indeed.” Elrond grinned at his wife and Ruby couldn’t stop the smile that slid onto her face as she watched the moment that passed between the two elves.

The three lapsed into comfortable silence as food was brought out to them. Ruby made sure to pile the food into her plate—she was fucking hungry. Apparently, crying and worrying for a good portion of the day used up a lot of energy and now she needed to replenish it. Ruby wasn’t one to say no to delicious food when it was placed in front of her either. If only her stupid sleeves would stop getting in the fucking way.

The rest of the meal passed smoothly with some playful banter being exchanged. Ruby was feeling great. Her worries had been resolved, she had no secrets that were looming over her like a dark cloud, and her stomach was full. What more could she want in life?

It wasn’t until Celebrìan offered her some wine, that Ruby began to tense again. She hadn’t forgot the last time she had had some of the wine here and wasn’t keen on repeating that experience, but she didn’t want to turn down her friend’s seemingly harmless offer. That’s how Ruby found herself slowly sipping a glass of the accursed substance.

“Ruby, after you left my study, Glorfindel brought up and interesting proposition.” Elrond announced after taking a sip from his own glass.

“What would that be?” Ruby asked with curiosity.

“Since you will be staying here, would you be interested in joining the guard—after training with Glorfindel that is?”

“Yes!” Hell, yeah she was interested. She had been itching for a fight for a while now, but she hadn’t wanted to disturb any of the elves that had been training. Ruby really wanted to get her hands on a sword, too. “I’m allowed to join your guard?” She was still somewhat skeptical and was now a little concerned that she had heard him wrong.

“Yes, Glorfindel is the Head of the Guard and asked if he could train you, himself.” Elrond clarified.

“That would be amazing!” After she finally apologised to the golden elf, of course, but that didn’t stop the rush of excitement that Ruby felt. Honestly, she had begun to get a bit bored with her training. She wouldn’t mind learning a new skill—especially if it would be useful. Ruby couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty because she was basically a freeloader. “When would I start?”

“That is up to Glorfindel.” Elrond chuckled. “I suspect he will wish to evaluated your skill and then train you with a bow or blade before you will be allowed to join a patrol.” Seemed fair enough.

“Alright, then.” Ruby nodded. She didn’t think she would stand much of a chance against an armed elf, but she had been working hard to improve her speed and endurance. If she managed to disarm her opponent, she could have a chance.

The evening was beginning to fade into night and Ruby knocked back the rest of her glass. The wine was starting to grow on her—it was sweeter than the stuff she had had before and had a pleasant fruity flavour. It was still a lot stronger than the stuff she was used to, and she was beginning to feel drowsy.

Ruby eventually bid the elf-couple goodnight and began to head back to her room. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was feeling a bit tipsy and was definitely not as steady as she would have liked to have been on her feet. She was about halfway there, when she ran into someone and latched onto their shoulders with her hands before she could fall. It would be a shame to get her pretty dress all dirty from rolling on the floor.

Ruby felt a pair of hands grab her waist to stop her momentum and she ended up in a sort of ‘dipped’ position like she had just finished ballroom dancing. She looked up at the face of her dress-rescuer and got lost in a pair of familiar grey eyes. _Erestor_.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered—not particularly sorry at all.

“You have been drinking again.” He frowned down at her.

“Maybe.” She giggled as he pulled her back into an upright position. “Thanks!” She had been lucky that he hadn’t been carrying anything or he might be a bit more peeved right now.

“Are you feeling alright?” A bit of concern showing in his expression even though he spoke with a bland tone.

“Yeah, had a good chat with Elrond and Celebrìan.” She grinned. She might have been a tiny bit drunk, but Ruby was still aware enough to notice that he hadn’t let go of her waist yet and, man, she was enjoying it.

She had been in this place long enough to realise that the elves respected personal space. A little too much, in Ruby’s opinion. She welcomed any kind of physical contact she could get at this point, especially if it was from Erestor.

“Where are you headed?” He asked after a long moment. Erestor seemed to have noticed her lovely dress and that he was still holding her. Ruby was more than slightly disappointed when he let go.

“My room.” She muttered dejectedly at the loss of contact.

“I shall escort you.”

“Cool.” Ruby grabbed his arm and began to drag him along. “C’mon! I thought you were supposed to escort me not the other way around.” She chuckled when she heard him grumble under his breath and tried to catch up to her pace.

They arrived at her door and Ruby found herself not wanting to let go of his arm, but reluctantly let him have it back anyways. “It was good seeing you, my guy.” She said as she entered her room and tugged her dress through the doorway.

“I am not _your ‘guy.’_ ” She heard him mutter as she closed the door and Ruby had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling.

…

Ruby found herself on the training grounds watching Glorfindel whip some poor elf’s ass in a sparring ring. He literally moved so fast that Ruby could barely follow his movements. It was no wonder why his opponent was struggling to block his attacks. The clangs rang out across the field as Glorfindel swung harder and eventually disarmed the sweating elf and pointed his blade at his throat.

The spectators watched calmly from the sides. Apparently this happened a lot. Ruby winced as the elf who lost wiped sweat from his brow and retrieved his sword with shaking arms. With the amount of force that Glorfindel had been using, Ruby was surprised the elf could feel his arms at all—let alone move them. Jeez, elves did not play around when it came to sword fighting.

Ruby watched Glorfindel take on a few more opponents and tried to learn his fighting style or favourite moves, but he was too quick and versatile. The only way she would win in a fight against the golden Goliath would be to disarm him instantly or take him by surprise. His speed and strength alone, would allow him to beat her swiftly. Ruby would need to be extremely focused and use all of her experience if she sparred against him.

“Ruby!” Her thoughts were interrupted by the fierce elf himself.

“Hey, Glorfindel.” She looked up at him as he approached her. The elves that had been about to spar with him seemed to be relieved as he walked away, which Ruby found pretty amusing. “I never got to apologise for my god-awful behaviour before. You were trying to be a good friend and I should have listened to you instead of snapping back. Could you forgive me?”

“Of course!” Glorfindel beamed at her. That elf was much too happy to be healthy. “Lord Elrond has said that you wish to join the guard. Please, come and join us!”

“Sure.” Ruby followed as the elf ran back to the sparring ring and continued to dominate all the elves that faced him. He seemed to be larger and stronger than most of them and was definitely one of the most skilled. It was strange that such a happy being could have such destructive power.

Some of the elves eyed her, but none seemed to openly resent her presence. Ruby took this as indifference because they had never seen her fight or train, for that matter. She knew that she would have to prove herself in order to gain acceptance. That was what she had to do with Hank’s other trainees. She had taken many beatings before she eventually snapped and kicked one of their asses. No one bothered her again, so she knew she had gained their respect.

Ruby began to stretch as she watched the elves spar. If she was going to train with them, she was going to have to be ready and limbered up. She ignore the questioning stares and rolled her shoulders before jumping a few times in place. It was a shame that they didn’t have any skipping ropes here—she’d have to make one at some point.

Glorfindel finished defeating the last elf around the ring, before calling for Ruby to enter it. She stepped into the ring with confidence—you never let your opponent see fear. She hadn’t expected to be sparring Glorfindel right off the bat, but Elrond had said that he would want to test her skill. Sure, she was nervous about facing the Goliath after his epic display of kick-assery, but Ruby belonged in the ring. She felt right at home as she looked at all the faces that watched from the sidelines.

“Ruby, this is just a test to determine your skill so that I know how much training you will need. Do not feel disheartened or discouraged by this fight. You have already informed me that you do not yet know how to wield a blade.” Glorfindel stated with a gentle smile. Ruby was sure that he was underestimating her skill, but she could use that to her advantage, so she just nodded politely and accepted the sword her handed to her.

The hunk of metal was heavy, but not uncomfortably so. Ruby could see that it was dull and felt slightly relieved because her main concern was that she would somehow injure herself. She gripped the handle in her right hand—copying how she had seen some of her opponents wield knives, though, she didn’t know if it was the same for swords or not.

“So what are the rules?” She asked plainly, slipping into her ‘Heartless’ facade.

“We fight until one of us yields or prepares to deliver a fatal blow.” Glorfindel explained as he eyed her grip. No doubt it was wrong, but Ruby didn’t really plan on fighting with the sword. She was going to earn her acceptance, which meant that she would be fighting to win.

“Got it. You ready?” She asked as she lowered herself into her stance, running her tongue across her teeth as she gave him her signature sadistic grin. He raised an eyebrow at her but refrained from commenting.

“Yes.” He settled into a different stance and held his sword out, nodding that he was ready.

“Great!” Ruby exclaimed as flung her sword at him without warning.

The golden elf yelped in surprise and jumped out of the way of the projectile in the nick of time. Ruby had no time to celebrate her fantastic distraction, she didn’t doubt that the elf would recover far faster than humanly possible. She launched herself at his sword arm and landed a solid kick to his knuckles—making his sword fly out of his grip. She quickly kicked it away so that he couldn’t re-arm himself.

Before the poor surprised elf knew what was happening, Ruby grabbed his arm and jumped up—wrapping her legs around his neck and crossing her ankles. Then, she threw all her body weight to the right, rolling on her back when she touched the ground. She then squeezed her thighs around his one shoulder and head—his one arm trapped in hers. Ruby had him.

“I yield.” Glorfindel proclaimed and Ruby instantly released him and stood up, offering her hand to him. He accepted her help with a grin.

Ruby was surprised by the absolute silence she was met with. Usually people cheered when she won, so this was kind of weird. What was weirder was the fact that everyone was either staring at her with their mouths open or with their eyes widened in shock. Literally everyone on the whole training grounds was staring and it was kind of making her really fucking uncomfortable, to say the least.

“I do not believe I have ever seen someone throw their weapon like that before.” Glorfindel chuckled. “It was a very interesting technique.” Ruby was only partially surprised that he was taking his defeat so well.

“I figured that taking you by surprise would be the easiest way to disarm you and I really have no idea what to do with a sword anyways.” Ruby shrugged, trying to ignore the gaping peanut gallery. “I doubt I would be able to win again, now that you know my tactic.” She grinned as she picked up her sword from the grass.

“I would not be so quick to doubt yourself, the way you took me to the ground shows that you are very skilled.” He nodded to her and Ruby felt a smidgen of pride well up in her chest.

“Thanks, Glorfy.”

“Would you mind telling me where you learned to do that?” He asked with curiosity and Ruby couldn’t seem to turn him down.

“I was trained by a guy named Hank. He taught me everything I know.” She missed Hank, but at the same time she really didn’t miss Hank. Their relationship was strange like that.

“You truly fight unarmed?” An elf interjected from the sidelines. It seemed the shock of Glorfindel’s defeat was wearing off.

“Yes.” Ruby answered.

“Do they not have weapons where you are from?” Another voice piped up.

“They do, but I wasn’t trained with any of them.”

“Why not?”

“Uhh…because reasons?” Ruby didn’t really know how to answer that. It would include getting into the whole dishonorably-fighting-for-entertainment thing and Ruby didn’t want to open _that_ particular can of worms at this moment.

“Enough questions!” Glorfindel interjected. “Ruby is here to be trained just like the rest of you. Please, get back to your training now.”

“Thanks for that.” Ruby smiled at him as the crowd around them dispersed.

“Do not worry about it.” Glorfindel grinned back at her. “I believe that we should get back to training as well.”

“You got it.” She winked at him.

Ruby was going to enjoy this.


	11. Chapter 11

So, Ruby had been wrong. She didn’t nearly enjoy the training as much as she had thought she would. Glorfindel was totally less sadistic than Hank, but for some reason his cheerfulness was so much worse. Why did he have to smile when he told her to hold a sword in her outstretched arm for as long as she could in the hot sun? Maybe she was in Hell.

She was definitely tired by the end of it and had been hoping for a nice full night of sleep, but her mind was not on her side. She had dreamt of her death, waking up thinking she was choking on her own blood. It was probably her subconscious picking up on all the sharp metal objects she had seen during the day and then outputting her traumatic memory of a cool, metal blade being shoved into her throat during the night. Brains fucking sucked.

Ruby groaned as her sore muscles protested her movement, but she stood up anyways. There was no way in hell she would be getting back to sleep after that. She went to her window and looked out at the night sky, the sun would probably be rising within the next hour or so. Perhaps Erestor was out in the garden.

The elf had said that he would be there to listen when she needed him. Well, her other friends had said that he would be, and they weren’t available currently, so tough luck on his part. Ruby got dressed and made her way outside, tiptoeing as quietly as she could.

Sure enough, when she arrived in the garden, Erestor was sitting on the bench. He looked so peaceful, but before she could turn around and leave so that she wouldn’t disturb him, he spoke to her softly, “Just what do you think you are doing?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Ruby sighed and plopped herself down on the bench next to him. “Nightmare.”

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

“Not really.” There was a short pause before Ruby began to spill her thoughts to him anyways. “I was reliving the night Mick killed me again. I just didn’t want to be alone and I figured you would be up.”

“Alright.” They lapsed into silence and Ruby tried to work up the nerve to ask him kind of a personal question.

“Could you…could you sing to me like you did in the closet?” She felt her face flush and she decided that the flower next to the bench looked very interesting. So interesting that she didn’t have to meet his eyes.

“I suppose.” He sighed, but it didn’t sound like a resigned sigh or even a frustrated sigh…it was more wistful?

Ruby quickly lost herself in the song as soon as he began to sing. She had no idea what the lyrics said, but she could understand it anyways. It was a song about love and loss. She could hear it in the tone and melody, it brought tears to her eyes.

She let herself recline on the bench and found herself drifting back to sleep. Ruby didn’t notice that she latched herself onto the warm, singing elf next to her as she slept, but even if she did, she probably wouldn’t care.

…

Ruby woke up feeling well-rested on the garden bench again. She was starting to think that she should request to have it moved into her room to replace the bed, but then she would have no where to sit with Celebrìan in the mornings. Speaking of which, Celebrìan would probably arrive shortly.

It took the silvery blonde elf about half an hour to get there. Ruby had found herself playing with the robe-y thing she had been hugging as she slept, while she waited. It had just occurred to her that she hadn’t returned the other one Erestor had left with her last time. Oops.

“How was your rest, Ruby?” Celebrìan asked as she sat down in the spot Erestor had been previously.

“Well, I got woken up by a nightmare, but Erestor helped me get back to sleep.” Ruby yawned. The sun was warm and making her feel sleepy.

“Did he now?” Something about Celebrìan’s tone made Ruby narrow her eyes.

“Yes…” Ruby trailed off as she looked at Celebrìan with suspicion. Just what did she think she knew that Ruby didn’t? “…Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all, Ruby.” Celebrìan grinned. “I was merely asking a question.”

“Sure.” Ruby still felt like the elf was keeping something from her.

“I heard that your training with Glorfindel went well.”

“Yes, I had no idea he was such a great swords-person.”

“Most of Imladris has already heard of his defeat at your hands, I would not be surprised if a pair of elflings searched for you to hear your recount such a feat.” Celebrìan chuckled and Ruby felt herself blush slightly.

“He underestimated me, and I surprised him, that’s all.” Ruby brushed off the compliment. “I’m sure Elladan and Elrohir won’t be that interested.”

“I would not be so sure; both of my sons wish to be great warriors and they saw Glorfindel as the best. Now, they may look to you.”

“If they did, would you let me show them a few things?” Ruby asked cautiously. She didn’t really think of herself as a teacher, but it would be fun to show the two elflings a few moves. It would also give them a way of defending themselves if anything bad happened to them—not that she thought anything would.

“As long as you are alright with showing them and no one get hurt.” Celebrìan nodded.

“I will if they ask.”

“Please! Will you show us?” Elladan shouted as he jumped out of the bushes, landing in front of Ruby.

“We shall be good!” Elrohir added as he landed next to his brother.

“Jeez, do you two hang around here every morning?” Ruby was starting to understand the wisdom of Celebrìan for knowing where they were at all times. Those elves were going to give her a heart attack one day.

“Only once we have finished our lessons.” Wow, that was comforting.

“Right. Well, since I said that I would, I guess I will show you two a few things.” Ruby shrugged and was quickly tugged to her feet.

“Come on, then! Show us, show us!”

Ruby was dragged away and was pretty certain she could hear Celebrìan’s laughter from behind her. She had definitely known that this would happen, the sneaky elf. Ruby couldn’t be mad though; the twins were so cute when they were excited.

“Okay, this spot is good enough.” Ruby tugged the elflings back a bit to the grassy area. “First, what I teach you is not something to use against me, Glorfindel, Erestor, your parents, each other, or anybody that isn’t trying to harm you, got it?”

“Yes.” They agreed in unison. Ruby had the sneaking suspicion that they were going to find a loophole in that somewhere, but she would deal with that later.

“I’m going to teach you a simple trick to disarm your opponent.” She explained. “If some one come at you with a knife the best thing for you to do is run, but if you can’t then you either want to grab just above their wrist and then snap it towards them or hit the back of the hand holding the knife while also stopping their wrist from moving so the knife flies out of their grip.”

Ruby picked up a stick from the ground and handed it to Elladan. She then demonstrated both techniques in slow motion so that the elves would understand. They seemed to grasp the concept fairly quickly, but they were also like sixty-four so Ruby expected as much. They practiced for a while before Ruby deemed their movements sufficient.

“Once disarmed, you can grab their tricep with one hand and their wrist with your other and twist the arm so that it is behind their back. Then, press down on their elbow so you can force them to the ground.” Ruby explained and then demonstrated on Elrohir, making sure to hold him loosely enough so that it wouldn’t hurt him. “Be careful when you practice this one.”

She let them practice for a while before she taught them something else. “Okay, now this is going to be more fun. If some one runs at you with their arm out, you can grab that arm and turn so that it is over your shoulder. Then, as you hold their arm firmly, you bend forward at the waist and pull them over your body.” Ruby grabbed Elladan and showed what she meant without actually throwing the child. “You want to really throw them. Now, you guys can practice on each other as long as you don’t hurt your brother. Oh, wait a second!”

Ruby had spotted a very conveniently located Glorfindel. He seemed to be heading inside for the midday meal, but Ruby snatched him away. Both of the elflings looked excited now that Ruby had someone she could demonstrate with.

“Do you consent to being thrown, Glorfindel? It’s for the safety of the children.” Ruby smiled innocently.

“What do you mean ‘thrown?’” The golden elf seemed confused, but Ruby didn’t really want to explain. She was getting hungry.

“Yes or no, Glorfindel? Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Great.” Without further ado, she grabbed his arm and promptly maneuvered him so that she could use her body to throw his onto the ground. He let out a surprised gasp as he landed on his back. Ruby hadn’t thrown him hard enough to hurt, only hard enough to wind him slightly. “Do you understand?”

“Yes!” The elflings giggled at the surprised elf on the ground.

“You can try it once each, but then we’re going in for lunch.” Ruby announced as she helped Glorfindel back to his feet. “Don’t do it too hard, this is only practice.”

“I see you meant ‘thrown’ in a literal sense.” Glorfindel smiled at her as he brushed some dirt off his clothes and Ruby rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Yeah, though I don’t see how it would be used in a metaphorical sense.” She smiled back. “The twins asked me to show them a few things, so I was teaching them how to throw an attacker to the ground. I hope you didn’t mind being the example.”

“Not at all. It was kind of fun.” The elf laughed brightly. He was _far_ too happy for someone who she had just thrown in the dirt.

“Right.” Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go eat!”

“Aww.” The twins complained but headed inside anyways.

…

Ruby had found herself sitting in the library a lot during the evenings. She had decided that she needed a hobby, so she took up drawing. Specifically, drawing Erestor as he worked. She hadn’t started out very good, but with some practice, the messy smudged charcoal scratches were beginning to take the vaguely recognisable form of the grumpy elf. She only wished she could have brown charcoal to capture his chocolate-y locks.

She had found a vantage point where she could subtly watch Erestor work, while she sketched. She liked watching him, he would get a cute little crease between his eyebrows when he was deep in thought and the way his lips curved into a delicate scowl whenever he was frustrated or displeased had delightful shivers going down her spine.

She had just started on his nose, when Ruby realized that he had gotten up from his seat and left. She frowned and looked towards the entrance of the library to see if she could catch a glimpse of him, but it would seem he had left in a hurry.

“Just what do you think you are doing?” Ruby tensed as a familiar voice drawled to her right.

“Erestor,” She acknowledged nervously, refusing to look at him. “Come here often?”

“You would know.” Was that amusement she detected in his voice, or was she mistaken? “I find myself growing curious about your constant presence in the library. Care to explain?”

“No, not really.” She grumbled, quickly packing up her charcoal and the unfinished drawing. She didn’t want to have to explain that she was creepily watching him and drawing a picture because she liked his face. “Would you look at the time? Wow, I better get going,” She looked at her wrist as if glancing at a watch. “Places to be and people to see. You understand, right?” Ruby made the mistake of making eye contact.

“You would do well to tell me what you are doing.” He narrowed his eyes at her suspicious behaviour. “One might think you are up to something.”

“If that is the case, I have you right where I want you.” Ruby gave him a flirtatious wink before she could stop herself. Erestor only narrowed his eyes until they were slits and gave her a scowl. Ruby had to suppress a new wave of shivers and tried to give him an innocent smile.

“Do not interfere with my work, I am already falling behind as it is.” He seemed to become angry, a fire igniting in his grey eyes. “You may be able to lounge around without a care in the world, but some of us have responsibilities. It would do you well to stay out of the way.”

Indignation welled up in Ruby’s chest and threatened to bubble over. She had been sitting there— _quietly_ —as she drew. It’s not like she had been drawing dicks on his papers or banging pots together. She was not getting in the way!

“Sure, whatever.” Ruby huffed and went to walk past him, only to find herself firmly pressed into a bookshelf—his hands gripping her shoulders. The sudden contact and the somewhat ‘compromising’ position overwhelmed Ruby to the point where she let out a loud, pleasurable moan from her throat. He was fulfilling a fantasy that Ruby, herself, didn’t know she had had until this moment.

Erestor’s face became flushed and he stumbled back a few steps, releasing her from his grasp. Ruby cleared her throat in embarrassment and tried to meet his eyes, only to find that he was looking anywhere but at her, much to her amusement.

“Sorry about that.” Ruby gave him a wry smile. “It’s just been a while since…you know, I’ve had some physical contact.” The elves were not particularly touchy-feely, and Ruby had been feeling a bit…starved. The sudden contact had, well, been unexpected and she hadn’t been prepared. The closest she had been to an elf had been when she had taken down Glorfindel, but it hadn’t quite been like that. It also didn’t help that it had been Erestor who was touching her, the elf she was lusting after.

“I—I was…There was no need…” Erestor struggled to find words, which was very uncharacteristic of the scholarly elf. “I should—Ruby I…”

The poor elf was flustered beyond belief! Ruby couldn’t even attempt to hide the smirk that weaseled its way onto her face. The cool, calm, and collected Erestor was flustered! Oh, she was loving every second of it.

“Don’t worry about it!” Ruby gave him a teasing grin. “If you get a sound like that out of me, you are doing something right.”

The reaction was immediate. His eyes found hers—narrowing in irritation—and the scowl reappeared. If only he knew what that look did to her.

“I was wrong to grab you like that.” It seems like the regular Erestor was back and making coherent sentences once again. “It will not happen again.”

“How disappointing,” She gave him a playful smirk. “I kind of liked it.” She winked and stalked out of the library; a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she caught a glimpse of the tips of his ears tinged pink.

…

Ruby had woken up feeling relaxed. She had gotten a full eight hours of sleep it would seem, and the sun was just rising. Today felt like it would be a good day and Ruby was ready to go train with Glorfindel. Hopefully, he would begin to teach her some new defensive techniques, but she wasn’t going to get her hopes up. They had been going over the same one for two days now and Ruby felt like she had gotten the hang of it, but Glorfindel still wasn’t fully satisfied with her form. She knew that learning these things took time, but she didn’t have all the time in the world like these elves did.

Ruby sighed as she finished tying the laces of her running shoes and went to exit her room. She was surprised, to say the least, when she opened her door to find a somewhat nervous Erestor pacing in front of it. He seemed…worried? It was kind of strange to see him without his usual irritated scowl and disinterested composure.

“What’s up, my guy?” She seemed to have startled him, which was a first. It was virtually impossible to sneak up on any elf—Ruby had learned the hard way when she had tried to prank the twins once. He must have been really deep in thought not to have noticed her standing there.

“Ruby.” He froze mid-pace and his eyes widened almost comically.

“What’s wrong?” She asked with concern once they elapsed into a long pause. He wasn’t himself—he hadn’t even complained when she called him ‘my guy’ which was something he almost _always_ did.

“I came to sincerely offer my apologies for my treatment of you yesterday.” He seemed to recover from his lack of rigidity and straightened his posture and adverted his eyes. “The…incident…was entirely my fault, so I apologise.”

“What incident are you referring to?” Ruby asked straight-faced, successfully stopping the smirk that threatened to slide across her lips.

“You do not know?” Erestor met her eyes, disbelief colouring his tone.

“I’m not entirely sure, would you be so kind as to describe it to me?” Ruby felt the smirk tug at her lips. “In detail.” Erestor scowled. Apparently, her amusement at his apology was not being well-received.

“No, I will not, and I wish that you would take this matter seriously.” He glared at her.

“Okay, fine.” Ruby sent him a grin. “So, let me get this straight, you wish to apologise for eliciting an obscene sex-noise out of me?” Erestor shifted uncomfortably, adverting his gaze again.

“…Yes.” He agreed after a pause in silence.

“That is absolutely ridiculous, but if it makes you feel better, I accept your apology.” Ruby chuckled, receiving another glare. “To show my goodwill, I offer you a friendly fist-bump.” Ruby held out her hand and waited for Erestor to grasp it. The elves had long since given up on figuring out why she did this and most just went along with it. Ruby thought it was fucking hilarious to do such a modern action with these ethereal beings.

He eyed her hand suspiciously, as if trying to decide if she was being sincere. After a moment of deliberation, he pressed his knuckles against hers, but immediately recoiled as Ruby let out another erotic moan.

“I’m sorry! It’s too soon to joke about it, isn’t it?” She got out through bursts of laughter. “I just couldn’t help myself! You’re too cute when you get so adorably flustered—your ears get all rosy!” Ruby was too lost in her hysterics to realize that she had just called the elf she had a crush on ‘cute’ to his face.

Erestor’s ears darkened after she made that statement, which made his glare less fearsome. He seemed to be thoroughly regretting his apology so Ruby decided that she should probably stop teasing him…for now.

“Seriously though, I appreciate your apology.” She gave him a polite smile, though she was sure her amusement still showed in her eyes. “It, however, was not _all_ your fault. I’m sorry for my lack of vocal control. You just took me by surprise with all the touching and truthfully, I didn’t mind it.” He seemed surprised by her admittance, but appreciative none the less.

“Well, I should take my leave, now that that is sorted.” Erestor tilted his head and took off down the hallway. Ruby couldn’t help but notice that his steps were a little bit quicker than normal, much to her amusement.

…

Erestor had been having difficulties getting thing accomplished for weeks now. Ever since that infernal woman decided to spend her time in the library, he had been unable to concentrate, and his work was suffering because of it.

She just sat there and scribbled, every evening, without fail, she was there. For the life of him, Erestor could not figure out why. Why was she there? Why did she scribble for hours? Most importantly, why was she so distracting? Why, why, why? It was a mystery that he could never figure it out and Erestor did not like _not_ _knowing_.

Erestor reached a point where his thoughts were consumed by _her_ and sighed in frustration. He was getting no where. It did not help that whenever he thought of her, he could feel her thumbs ghosting across the tips of his ears and it made his hands tremble and his ears warm.

Even Lord Elrond had taken notice of his slacking, which was how he found himself sitting in Lord Elrond’s study today. Erestor could only hope that he could be forgiven for not completing as much work as he should be.

“Erestor, do you know why I wanted to speak with you on this day?” Lord Elrond spoke plainly.

“Milord, I must confess, I have been rather distracted as of late.” Erestor stated. “It has been interfering with my work.”

“What is this distraction you speak of?” Lord Elrond might have looked innocent to most, but Erestor knew the Lord very well. He knew something and was keeping it to himself.

“It is Ruby.”

“I suspected she had something to do with this.”

“Truly?” Why would he have suspected Ruby to be his distraction? It was another question that had an answer that eluded him. Erestor scowled in irritation.

“Yes,” Elrond nodded. “I suggest that in order to resolve this distraction, you find out what it is about her that makes her so bothersome.”

“How would I do that, milord?” It was not like he could scour the library for an answer to that question.

“Take tomorrow evening off and spend time with her, Erestor.” Lord Elrond elaborated. “You are one of the most intelligent elves I know, I am sure that you will figure it out.”

“But, milord!” Erestor interjected. “I am already behind!”

“I have told you many times that you need a break. You already work so hard that one evening will not make you fall behind.”

“I suppose.” Erestor sighed.

Now, all he needed to do was get Ruby to agree to this. Surely, she would not wish to spend her time with a ‘grouchy' elf like him.


	12. Chapter 12

Ruby was currently trudging back to her room. She had finished another training session with Glorfindel this morning and had just parted ways with Celebrìan after having a nice chat with her in the garden, so she was more than ready to wash up before heading for the midday meal. Her sweat had dried and was making her skin feel all icky.

Ruby bathed quickly and got dressed in record time because she was hungry and in need of sustenance. She opened her door to head to the dining hall but stopped as she almost collided with someone who had been loitering outside of her room. The only thing that stood between her and her lunch was…Erestor? What the fuck was he doing outside of the library at this time?

“Hey, there.” Ruby grinned cheekily. “Whatcha doing?”

“Ruby, I ask that you spend this evening with me.” Erestor began after a moment of hesitation. “I wish to get to know you better.” He…he _what!?_ Did she hear that correctly? Erestor—distant and scowl-y _Erestor_ —wanted to spend time with her this evening?

“…Hell, _yeah!_ ” Ruby announced after the shock had worn off. This sounded like a date—a date with _Erestor_. Yes, please. “What are we going to be doing?” Erestor seemed to be a bit startled by her enthusiastic response and stared at her, not seeming to comprehend her question entirely.

“I am unsure. What would you like to do?” He asked looking like he was at a loss, but Ruby had a fantastically wonderful idea.

“Don’t worry! I’ll take care of everything, just meet me at my room before dinner.” Ruby was sure she was grinning like an idiot. “Don’t look so suspicious, it’ll be fun!” She winked and rushed off. She had a lot to do and probably only a couple of hours to get everything organised, which meant that she should have started to prepare like an hour ago. Fuck.

Ruby hurried to the midday meal, hopefully she could recruit Edegil to help her with her plans. If she were lucky, the elf would be happy to help, but she would probably want to eat first. Ruby knew she definitely wanted food right now, but she was also floating on a cloud of happiness. She had a date! A date with the guy she had a crush on. This was something that hadn’t happened in a very long time.

The last date she had had was with some random guy she had met at the gym. He had been nice, but Ruby hadn’t really felt anything for him. She didn’t think that she had ever felt this excited to go on a date before. It was like she was nervous and giddy at the same time with butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

She was sure that even the twins were picking up on her strange mood as she scarfed down her lunch in record time. Ruby, however, didn’t miss the conspiratorial look that passed between Elrond and Celebrìan. Those two were definitely up to something, but Ruby was too lost in her happiness to really care. She had a fucking _date_ with _Erestor!_ Oh, she was going to make it an absolutely perfect evening! She couldn’t wait.

Ruby hastily left the table and found Edegil quietly munching on some bread. Ruby really didn’t want to be rude, but she wasn’t particularly in a patient mood. “Hey, Edegil! I need your help.”

“What is it, Ruby?” She stood after excusing herself from the table—something Ruby probably should have done before she had practically bolted. Oh well, she’d have to apologise later, right now, this was her main priority.

“Do you know how to make those honey cake things?” Ruby gestured to the square cakes on the table next to her.

“Yes.” Edegil answered with a hint of confusion.

“Can you teach me, please?” Ruby tried to imitate the look the twins gave her every time they wanted to get her to do something.

“If you wish.”

“Yes!” Ruby threw a fist into the air to celebrate her victory—ignoring some of the curious looks she got from the elves around her. “I know it’s short notice, but can we start now?”

“Of course.” Edegil smiled at Ruby’s behaviour and began to lead Ruby away from the dining hall and hopefully towards the kitchen.

…

“That is too much flour.” Edegil commented and Ruby groaned in frustration. This was her third attempt and it sounded like it was going to be a failure too. Baking was fucking difficult. It didn’t help that Ruby only really knew how to cook Kraft Mac & Cheese from a box and toast—even then, she somehow managed to burn it half the time. “Ruby, why did you want to make these?” Edegil asked with an eyebrow raised as she flitted around the room doing kitchen stuff.

“I’m trying to make them for the picnic dinner I had planned.” Ruby sighed. At this rate, she wouldn’t have any food ready in time.

“What is the meaning of the word ‘picnic?’” Edegil asked, her brows furrowed in confusion as she sounded out the foreign word.

“You pack up food and go find a nice place to go eat it outside.” Ruby explained. “But it doesn’t seem like that will be happening.” Maybe they could just wander around in the forest for hours and look for edible plants for dinner. That sounded like a fucking lovely date, right? Not.

“Why not? You can take the honey cakes that I made.” Edegil smiled and took small cakes she had made out of the wood stove. They smelled absolutely mouth-watering. So, unfair.

“I couldn’t do that; don’t you want them?”

“I only made them to show you how it was done.” Edegil grinned and Ruby returned it.

“Oh, thank you! I was really hoping for them to be perfect—they’re Erestor’s favourite!” He always had at least three after his dinner.

Ruby grabbed Edegil’s hands and spun her around in the middle of the kitchen. Edegil let out a surprised squeal, but it quickly turned into laughter. They got some strange looks from the other elves that were milling around in the kitchen, but neither Ruby nor Edegil seemed to care. Ruby had been slightly taken aback by how confident and at home Edegil seemed to be when they had entered the room. The elf had always seemed timid and shy, but it seemed she had a playful side to her as well.

“So, you are going on this ‘picnic’ with Lord Erestor, hmm?” Edegil grinned, her eyes shining with mischief.

“Yes!” Ruby grinned back with excitement. “Were going to meet up before dinner.”

“We better make haste, then.” Edegil began to wrap the cooling honey cakes in cloth. “Where do you plan on eating this dinner?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I was going to see if Glorfindel knew any good spots, but I don’t think I’ll have enough time now.” Ruby shrugged and hurriedly began to collect different items from around the kitchen. She had gathered some slices of bread, cheese, some pieces of cooked meat, and lettuce. Ruby might not know how to cook, but she could assemble a mean sandwich. She also tossed in some of the fruits she had seen Erestor eat at most dinners. “Do you know where I could find a basket?”

“I may have something you could use.” Edegil vanished from the kitchen and returned shortly after with a beautifully woven basket that had a large handle that seemed to have vine designs woven into it. It was definitely large enough for all the food and there was probably enough space to put a blanket in there for them to sit on as well. It was perfect.

“It’s gorgeous, Edegil!” Ruby leaned forward so that she could get a better look at it. It was so intricate and impossibly detailed. Ruby couldn’t help but feel amazed by it. “Where did you get it?”

“I made it.” Ruby openly gaped at her. She had fucking _made_ that!? Damn, she was talented.

“Holy shit! You’ve got skills, girl.” Ruby saw a blush dust Edegil’s cheeks. She was honestly the sweetest person Ruby had ever met.

“Thank you.” She smiled and began to pack the cloth-wrapped items into the basket.

“No, thank you! I’m sure this whole picnic would be a disaster if you hadn’t helped.” Ruby grinned. There was no way she would have been ready on time, that was for sure.

“You are my friend, Ruby. Of course I would help.” Edegil smiled and passed the basket to Ruby.

“I hope you know that you can come to me for help whenever you want, too.”

“I shall.” Edegil smiled at her. “You better hurry if you wish to find a nice spot.”

“Good point.” Ruby grinned and headed to her room.

…

She had dropped off the basket and begun to search for Glorfindel. You would think it would be easy to find such a tall elf, but no. It was like he was always moving around and never where she thought he would be—like a game of cat and mouse—but Ruby didn’t have time for games. Erestor would probably be waiting at her room within the next hour and she still had no idea where they would have their picnic.

Ruby was about to give up and just go hiking in the woods until she found a decent spot, when she saw some golden hair out of the corner of her eye. He was headed from the…stables? Eh, that didn’t really matter. Ruby quickly ran over to him and began to walk next to him—though with his large strides, it was more like she was jogging.

“Hey, Glorfindel! My good buddy and best pal.” Ruby nudged his shoulder.

“What do you want, Ruby?” He turned and smirked down at her—his eyes glinting with amusement in the sunlight.

“Who said I wanted anything? Could I not just want to hang out with my bestest friend?” She tried to look innocent, but she was sure he could see right through it. “But, as my bestest friend, it would be great if you could perhaps show me a pretty area in the forest? Please.”

“I should like to know why you require such a location.”

“But, as my bestest friend, you should know that it must be for a good reason, so there really is no need for me to tell you.” Honestly, Ruby wanted to shout that she was going on a date with Erestor from the rooftops, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun keeping it from Glorfindel for a while.

“Ruby!” He complained with a sigh. “It was a simple question.”

“Yes, but I’m running out of time, so maybe you could begin to lead the way.” She gestured for him to get going with an innocent smile.

“Very well.” Glorfindel began to walk her down a narrow dirt path that lead deeper into the forest. He kept trying to get her to explain why she needed a nice place in the woods and why she was ‘running out of time,’ but Ruby was enjoying his frustration far too much to tell him so soon.

“Is it much farther?” She asked when they turned off the path and began trekking through the underbrush.

“No, and this is one of my secret spots, so you must tell me what you plan on doing here.”

“It’s not like I’m going to throw a rave, Glorfindel.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

“I do not know what that is, but I believe I asked you what you _were_ planning not what you _were_ _not_.” He sighed again and turned to give her a pout worthy of the twins and Ruby chuckled at his antics.

“If you must know, I may or may not be having dinner with or without another person that I do not want to assume that you may or may not be acquainted with. It is also more or less possible that I certainly need a place in the woods so that we can probably eat our dinner somewhere.” 

“…What?” He asked after a long pause, turning to glance at her over his shoulder. Ruby knew she was grinning like a fool, but the look on Glorfindel’s face as he tried to unravel what she had just said was priceless. He didn’t seem to like the look of her shit-eating grin.

“I stand by what I said.”

“But that did not make any sense.”

“Are you sure?”

“Ruby!”

“Just think about it.” Her grin never faltered because as they lapsed into silence, she was sure that he was still trying to figure it out.

They walked for another couple of minutes before Glorfindel stopped and sighed in defeat. It seemed they had reached their destination and it was astonishing. They were in a small clearing that had large patches of white flower scattered across the forest floor and the sun shone through the trees, showering the clearing with a golden glow. It was perfect.

“Oh, this is _nice!_ ” She looked around in awe. Ruby—before she could stop herself—grabbed Glorfindel’s hand and swung him around with glee. The elf just laughed and joyfully danced around with her for a while.

“Will you tell me why you needed me to show you this now?” He asked once they both calmed down.

“Sure! I’m going to have a picnic with Erestor.” She explained then took off back the way they came—running at top-speed. She didn’t want to be late.

“Ruby! I do not know what that is!” She heard Glorfindel call after her. Ruby couldn’t help but let out a wicked laugh, maybe she would explain later…maybe not.

…

The sun was getting kind of low, and Ruby was sure that Erestor would be waiting at her room any minute now. Except, when she got there, the grumpy elf was no where to be found. Ruby sighed with more than a little disappointment. She had been running around for most of the day like a chicken with their head cut off, but now, she couldn’t seem to stand how slowly the seconds ticked by.

Ruby entered her room and found Edegil waiting for her inside. The elf was smiling at her with an uncharacteristically wide smile. Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Why are you so happy?”

“I am excited for you!” She exclaimed. “You must tell me everything when you get back, I shall come here after dinner and wait.”

“Are you sure you want too? I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” Ruby was glad that she wasn’t the only one who was thrilled for her date. She had never really had a friend that she could share these sort of things with, but she didn’t want her to just sit here all by herself.

“Do not worry! I have ways to occupy the time.”

“Alright.” Ruby agreed. If everything went well, she would probably need someone to talk to after anyways or else she just might explode with happiness.

Ruby grabbed an extra blanket from her bed and stuffed it into the basket—Erestor didn’t seem like the type to sit in the dirt. Then, Ruby began to pace the room nervously. Where was he? It’s not like he didn’t know where her room was.

“Ruby, he will come.” Edegil shook her head as Ruby continued to try to wear a hole in the floor.

“But what if he forgot?”

“Elves have a long memory. I am sure he is just busy.”

“I guess.” Ruby frowned as she slumped onto her bed. As more time passed, more fears popped into her head. What if this wasn’t actually a date? What if he changed his mind? What if he had realised that he didn’t want to know more about her because she was just a human with a lot of emotional baggage?

Wait, what was she doing? Ruby was never one to worry about such trivial insecurities and she had definitely never gotten so worked up over a guy. This wasn’t her—she needed to reel it in and remember who she was. She was Heartless, she was a fighter. With Glorfindel’s training, she was stronger than ever, and Ruby was not going to fall back into emotional turmoil—especially not because of some _guy_ , even if it was Erestor. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

“You’re right, Edegil. I’m being stupid.”

“You are not being ‘stupid.’” Edegil frowned and sat next to her. “Erestor will be lucky to be graced with your presence this evening.” Edegil’s excited disposition returned and Ruby found herself returning her grin. It was infectious.

“Thanks, Edegil. I would be lost without you.” Ruby held her fist out for a fist bump and was surprised when Edegil tapped her knuckles against hers enthusiastically.

“You are most welcome!” It was nice to see Edegil come out of her shell. It made Ruby feel like she didn’t have to walk on eggshells around her all the time. It was still adorable when she got all shy and humble, though. Making elves blush was becoming one of Ruby’s favourite pastimes.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and Ruby let herself relax. It was just Erestor—was it even possible for him to feel emotions other than irritation and displeasure? Ruby wasn’t going to get her hopes up, so then she couldn’t get let down. They were going to have dinner and chat, if he just wanted to be friends in the end, then Ruby would have to make peace with that and move on. Even if she really didn’t want to.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Ruby felt hope bloom in her chest and she immediately shot up from her bed. She was halfway to the door when she realized that she had just contradicted everything she had just promised herself. For fuck’s sake.

She was screwed.


	13. Chapter 13

Ruby opened the door to find an indifferent Erestor staring back at her. “Hey.”

“Greetings.” He eyed her with a hint of suspicion. “What have you planned?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She winked and went back over to Edegil to grab the picnic basket and say goodbye. “I’ll see you later, Edegil!”

“Have a wonderful time, Ruby!” Edegil grinned and exited the room, nodding at Erestor as she glided past him like a boss. Ruby followed her friend’s actions and made her way into the hallway.

“What are you waiting for? C’mon, Erestor!” She looked over her shoulder with a wide grin—she was so excited that she was practically skipping down the hallway. Was this what it felt like to be Glorfindel? She kind of liked it. Ruby couldn’t help but smirk to herself as the grumpy elf grumbled something that was too quiet for her to make out as he began to follow her. He was honestly too cute.

She led him to the clearing and tossed the blanket onto the ground—making sure to avoid crushing any of the pretty flowers. Ruby then, threw herself down and began to unpack the picnic basket as Erestor just stood beside her and watched her actions in confusion. Perhaps, she should have explained the mechanics of a picnic. Oops.

“Come, sit.” She patted the empty space on the blanket next to her and smiled—hopefully in a nice way. He reluctantly sat down and looked at her questioningly. “So where I’m from, we call this a picnic. You go outside and find a nice spot to eat some food.”

“Is this a common activity?” He asked and the side of his foot brushed against hers as he sat next to her. Ruby was sure that he was doing it on purpose—probably because she had told him about the while ‘starved’ thing. It was a sweet gesture and just made her fall for him so much harder. _Ugh!_ What was this elf doing to her?

“I guess.” Ruby tried to shrug nonchalantly, but the fact that he was touching her was making it kind of difficult. “There aren’t a lot of places to do this kind of thing in my city.” There were parks, sure, but nothing quite as secluded and beautiful as this clearing.

They lapsed into silence as Ruby began to assemble two sandwiches. Erestor watched her with interest as she began to layer different things onto a slice of bread. It was quite obvious that the elf had never seen anyone make a sandwich before and Ruby couldn’t help but feel sad on his behalf. Everyone should have the experience of tasting a bomb-ass sandwich.

“This, my friend, is a sandwich or what I like to call, the-best-thing-you-will-probably-ever-eat-in-your-freakishly-long-life.” Ruby passed him one of the sandwiches and then proceeded to take a large bite of her own. She fucking _adored_ sandwiches. You basically took a bit of everything a smashed them together into a flavourful masterpiece. There was also just so much versatility—you could have any type of food between some sort of bread and call it a sandwich. Now, that was beautiful—poetic even.

Erestor looked at the wondrous creation in his hands and frowned. Rude. “What’s wrong?” Ruby asked between bites. Erestor just looked at her then back at the sandwich in his hands before copying her actions and taking a bite. Ruby watched his reaction carefully. In all honesty, the sandwich was decent, but she had had better ones. It was hardly her fault that the elves didn’t have honey mustard or mayo.

Erestor seemed to contemplate the different flavours as he chewed. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t like it, but Ruby hoped he would anyways. He swallowed and Ruby waited for his verdict. “It is different, but I believe I like it.” Ruby smiled—her cheeks puffing out because they were stuffed with her half-eaten sandwich.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of the popular food options were I’m from.” Ruby explained after she finished chewing. “I also brought some of those honey cake things because I know they’re your favourite.” She winked and passed him one the cakes that Edegil had made. He had the nerve to look mildly surprised and Ruby could have rolled her eyes. As if she hadn’t noticed him always snatching some before the twins could eat all of them at dinner.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Edegil’s the one who made them.” Ruby shrugged.

“Regardless, it was a thoughtful gesture.” He gave her a reserved smile and it made Ruby’s stomach flip.

“Then, you’re welcome.” She returned his smile and nibbled on some fruit. Ruby was surprised how relaxed she felt being in his presence. She had been all nervous and worked up thinking about this evening, but now that it had arrived, she was feeling pretty chill. “Okay, I have a question.” She leaned back so that she was laying on the blanket and looking up at the blue sky. “If you had to wear _one_ colour for the rest of your life, what colour would you choose?”

“Why would I have to wear only one colour?”

“It’s hypothetical.”

“I do not understand.” Ruby turned her head and saw him frown at her.

“Just answer the question.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. _Elves_ , always taking things too literally.

“Blue.” He stated after thinking for a moment. “Like the ocean.” _Like her eyes_ , Ruby thought to herself. Her eyes were blue with hints of green swimming in them—like the ocean. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest and Ruby smiled, feeling her eyes crinkle at the sides.

“I’ve always been partial to neutral colours, but I find myself becoming more attached to grey.” _Like his eyes_ , she added in her mind.

“Interesting. Do people ask a lot of these ‘hypothetical’ questions where you are from?” He raised an eyebrow and laid down next to her.

“Yeah, it’s fun.” Ruby grinned. “Give it try, you might like it.”

“Very well.” He paused to think. “…If you could be any animal, what would you be?”

“Without a doubt, I would be a squirrel.” Ruby announced. “Think about it, they’re badass! Running around trees doing parkour. Fucking cool.” She ignored the strange look he gave her and turned the question back to him. “What about you?”

“Perhaps a bird.” Erestor shrugged. “Flying seems like a wondrous experience.”

“Awesome.” Ruby nodded. Flying would be pretty dope, but she would still want to be a squirrel—jumping through the trees at top-speed. It would be totally sick. “Do you like your job?”

“Yes, I am required to do a lot of different things. I write up contracts, negotiate trade deals, and complete other tasks that aid Rivendell so that my home can flourish.”

“Sounds exhausting.” Not to mention, _boooooriiiing_. If she were always sitting inside, she would get so restless.

“It can be. However, it must be done.” Erestor sighed almost warily.

“You know, someone very wise once told me that the key to being healthy is balance.” Ruby reached over and nudged his shoulder. She often found herself thinking that he worked too hard. He was always in the library or in his room working away, maybe he would be less cranky if he took a break every now and then. It had worked for her.

“Did you hear that from Lord Elrond or Lord Glorfindel?” Erestor smirked at her, though his eyes glared a little bit.

“…Glorfindel.” Ruby admitted sheepishly, so maybe he had heard this before. “Celebrìan also contributed, though.”

“That does not surprise me. Did they convince you to say this?” He glared at her openly with suspicion.

“Not that I’m aware of…” But Celebrìan had been acting a bit suspiciously lately. Was it possible Ruby had been manipulated into doing this? Naw, her friends wouldn’t do that. “Maybe we should talk about something else.”

“Gladly, what do you wish to discuss?”

“How about…Oh! Do you like jokes?” He gave her a funny look but didn’t say anything so Ruby continued. “What do you call a pony with a cough? A little horse!” Erestor just frowned at her unimpressed. “Wow, tough crowd.”

“That was not funny.”

“I thought it was amusing.” Ruby crossed her arms, sulking a little bit. “Do you think you could do better, huh?”

“I do not ‘joke.’”

“You can’t fool me, Erestor. Deep down inside you somewhere is a sense of humour trying to get out.” He scowled at her as she chuckled. “Anyways, what are somethings that you like to do in your spare time?”

“You already know I like to sit in the garden in the mornings.”

“What else?”

“I enjoy singing and reading.”

“What kinds of books do you read?” Ruby, herself, never particularly had time to read. She preferred to spend the time she did have—when she wasn’t training—watching Netflix.

“I like learning about different languages and histories of the world.” If that was what he liked to do for _fun_ , it was no wonder he liked to do all the trade agreements and stuff.

“Huh, do you do that often?” It would explain why he was always in the library.

“No, I do not have much time to read for enjoyment as of late.” She could hear the frown in his voice. How had they circled back around to the topic of him needing to get out more?

“I never really read for fun, but I liked to listen to stories.” Ruby smiled as she remembered her mother reading to her before she went to bed when she was young. “Do you have a favourite quality that you like about yourself?”

“I am hard-working and meticulous.”

“Modest, too.” Ruby teased and watched as he scowled at her again.

“What quality about yourself do you prefer?”

“I like to think that I’m hard-working too, but the quality that I like the _most_ about myself is my resilience.” She had never broke or given up when Hank had pushed her. She had always persevered.

“That is an admirable trait to have.”

“Thank you, I think you have admirable traits too.” She smiled at him and found herself getting lost in his gaze. The setting sun made his eyes catch some warmer tones and his hair seemed to shine as it pooled around him—like a chocolate waterfall.

“What are you thinking about?” The question tumbled from his lips and Ruby found herself almost too distracted by the way his mouth moved to comprehend the question.

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking?”

“You have pretty eyes.” She said in a bit of a daze. _Fuck!_ “I…I mean that your eye colour is very nice.” Yeah, that wasn’t helping.

Then, the most delightful thing happened. Erestor, yes the _grumpy_ elf, actually _laughed_. Ruby was so caught off guard by the wonderful sound that she was pretty sure her brain had short-circuited. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life and Ruby found herself grinning at him like an idiot. How had she never heard him laugh before?

Their conversation flowed easily after that. Erestor seemed to lose some of his reserved-ness and was actually really interesting to talk to. They laid there for hours—the sun getting lower until the golden light faded from the sky. The stars came out and the moonlight made the flowers in the clearing seem to glow and Ruby just felt so calm and happy. It was hard to believe that she had made it this far after dying and being buried alive. It just felt so _right_ to be with Erestor.

She had never felt this way about a guy before and, frankly, it terrified her, but she was also so thrilled at the same time. Could this be what Celebrìan had been talking about? Could this be…love?

…

They had been so lost in each others’ words that neither Erestor nor herself had noticed that dark clouds had rolled in overhead. Eventually, large cold drops began to fall from the dark sky and made them get up from where they were lounging. Ruby quickly began to pack everything back into the basket even though she was reluctant for her evening with Erestor to end.

The rain began to escalate into a full-out torrential downpour and Ruby threw her head back and laughed. She had always loved the rain—there was something peaceful about the rain that made her feel like she was worry free. Her hair and clothes were completely soaked through by the time she and Erestor had found shelter beneath the branches of a large evergreen tree.

Erestor didn’t seem impressed with the rain. In fact, he looked a bit like a wet cat in Ruby’s opinion—all annoyed with his shoulder tense. The poor drenched elf scowled in displeasure as his hair clung to the sides of his face and his clothes became saturated with water. Ruby couldn’t help but smirk at him a she set the basket onto a small dry patch of ground.

“Wow, you look positively miserable.” She chuckled as his scowl deepened. Ruby was still feeling calm and relaxed so she figure she should probably try to cheer the grumpy elf up. “I’ll tell you what, you can ask me any question at all, and I’ll answer it.” The elf considered her proposition carefully—almost _too_ carefully.

“Alright. What was your profession?” Ugh. _Anything_ but that. She had been lulled into a false sense of security by their pleasant chatter earlier and calming rain. Ruby should have known better than to offer such an open proposition. He had always pressured her about what she had done for a living during their sessions and her elusiveness probably hadn’t helped satiate his curiosity.

“I don’t want you to think differently about me.” Ruby sighed. She should have known that this question would come back to haunt her. Fuck.

“What do you mean?” Erestor raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a newfound curiosity. Ruby turned away—how would she keep it a secret if just looking at him made her want to tell him everything?

“I…My job isn’t considered…honourable.” Ruby kept her eyes glued to the branches above her head. “I had a reputation that I’m not particularly _proud_ of.” Ruby found herself looking at the ground as she kicked some mud around with her shoe.

“Ruby, I know you already.” Erestor stated. “I know you are not a bad person. I doubt my opinion of you will change because of this.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Ruby had done some horrible things. “I grew up differently, remember. I’m not from here.”

“Different does not mean bad.”

“Fine.” She sighed and then she was telling him…everything. Not just how she was ‘Heartless,’ she was telling him her whole life’s story—about her mom, her step-father, about Hank. _Everything_. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this honest and open with anyone. She was letting herself drop her guard and be vulnerable—something that absolutely terrified her. Though, she did skip over a large portion of how elves didn’t exist and some of the more technical stuff that she didn’t know how to explain. Hopefully, that would make things a bit easier for him to take in.

By the time she had run out of things to say, she was crying—her tears mixing with the raindrops that fell onto her from the branches of the tree. Refusing to look into Erestor’s eyes even though she was facing him. She didn’t want to see his judgement or rejection. Just thinking about everything from her home again was painful enough.

“Ruby, look at me.” He spoke softly as she sniffled and wiped the tears off her face with a wet sleeve. She eventually met his gaze and saw kindness and determination in his gaze. “I do not think differently about you.”

“Oh great! So you always thought I was cruel and horrible?” She lashed out throwing her hands in the air—accidentally batting a tree branch, showering them with water.

“On the contrary, I think you are brave and strong.” Erestor grabbed her hands in his. “You have experienced many difficult times, yet you still fight to be a good person. You play with the twins, you maintain friendships, you have managed to bring joy into the lives of those in Rivendell. You have a kind heart, even if it is buried behind walls of pain and anger.”

Wow, that was probably the most she had ever heard him say all at once. It was also one of the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her and Ruby felt elated. He knew everything, but he was still there. He hadn’t run away screaming. “You mean that?”

“Why would I have said it if I did not mean it?” His usual scowl had returned, and Ruby beamed at him. As much as he tried to hid behind his grumpy demeanor, she knew he really cared. His little rant _proved_ that.

“ _Erestor_.” She let out in a hushed whisper and she took a step forward.

They stood there as the rain dripped down on them from the trees in silence as they stared into each others’ eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her face and Ruby found herself tangling her hands in the hair at the base of his neck. They were so close, some of the rain that fell onto his forehead splashed onto her face. One inch further, and her lips would brush against his.

Suddenly tense, Erestor’s eyes widened and his stumbled backwards away from her—running his hands through his wet hair. Ruby was about to ask what was wrong, but the elf turned and began to walk away without a word.

He just left—leaving Ruby soaking wet in the dark forest. She opened her mouth, but her words died in her throat. He was gone. Tears began to fall, and Ruby felt her heart shatter at the rejection. She folded in on herself like a lawn chair and sat in the mud with her face buried in her hands.

 _Erestor_.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait! Something about this chapter just seemed a bit off, so I took a bit of a break. Hopefully you guys like it!

Erestor felt many different emotions swirling around uncontrollably inside of him—the most startling of which was longing. He wanted to go back and be with her, he wanted to _kiss_ her. But he could not possibly fall in love with her—she was mortal, which meant that he would inevitably lose her. _Forever_.

Erestor did not want that pain, he did not want to subject himself to those feelings if he could help it, and he did not want to burden her with the fact that his life would be in her hands if he continued down this path. She would eventually die and in his grief, Erestor would fade. It would be better for everyone if he chose to not feel these things, if he forgot about the way _she_ made him feel.

How had he not seen what was happening? Lord Elrond undoubtedly had. Erestor had been falling for her, she had been slipping into his thoughts and stirring his emotions into a jumbled mess. No more! Erestor could not become distracted by a trivial thing such as love, especially mot with a mortal. He was the Head Advisor of Rivendell, he had responsibilities that he would not forsake.

Even though his thoughts became more focused on forgetting about his feelings, Erestor could not stop himself from involuntarily glancing over at the table beside his bed. On top of wooden surface laid a small folded piece of paper that took the shape of a flower. He could still remember being fascinated with it when she had left it in front of him after their first meeting and it was always the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning. Erestor had no idea why he had kept it, but it made him think of her every time he looked at it.

He sighed and picked it up—cradling it in his hand. It was a strange thing, like her, and Erestor had never seen anything like it before. He desperately wanted to destroy it—to crumple it or burn it, so he could rid himself of this reminder of who he needed to forget his feelings for—but he could not do it. He settled for shoving it into a drawer—hiding it beneath the table’s surface.

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes—he could feel drops of water dripping down his neck where her hands had been just a short while ago. This was not going to be easy.

_Ruby._

…

When Ruby returned to her room, she found Edegil waiting for her. The elf’s excited smile dropping from her face as soon as she took in Ruby’s miserable expression. Ruby sighed and tied her dripping wet hair into a messy bun on top of her head. She must look like absolute shit—she definitely felt like it.

“I’m sorry I got your basket all wet.” Ruby frowned as she handed the soaked item to her friend. Edegil accepted it and set it on the floor.

“It will dry. I am more concerned about you, my friend.” Edegil directed Ruby over to her bed and sat down next to her. “What happened?” What had happened was that Ruby had been horribly rejected—dumped on her ass before anything could happened between them—and it fucking _hurt_.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Ruby knew she was being a huge bummer and she had been so looking forward to having a fun gossiping session with her friend. Maybe she could still salvage the rest of the evening—she could use a distraction anyways. “Hey, do you still want to talk, though? We could get Celebrìan and some wine and have a girl’s night!” Ruby tried to sound enthusiastic but had no idea if she had succeeded. Luckily, Edegil didn’t seem to notice.

“I would love to take part in this ‘girl’s night!’” Edegil beamed at her. “What does it require?”

“Well, you could go get a few bottles of wine and I’ll go convince Celebrìan that she needs to join us.”

“Splendid!” Edegil scurried out of the room and Ruby got the feeling that maybe Edegil didn’t have very many close female friends.

Ruby quickly changed out of her soaking wet, mud-covered clothes and went to find Celebrìan’s room. It was late, so hopefully the elf had returned to her room, but not gone to sleep yet. Ruby had never really had a girl’s night because she didn’t really have close friendships before she had come here, but she had always wanted to see what it was all about. She could use the company as well—she didn’t want to be alone right now. Ruby had had enough alone time after she had been ditched in the woods all by herself.

Ruby wandered around hopelessly for a bit. She really should know which room belonged to Celebrìan by now, but Ruby had never really needed to before now. They had always met in the garden or at meals. She didn’t even know what she was looking for—a Celebrìan-ish looking door? Ruby sighed. I would be best if she just asked someone, so she knocked on the door of the closest room.

“Ruby? What are you doing here?” One of the twins asked tiredly. “What happened to your hair?” Ruby rolled her eyes at the hair comment. Of course he would notice her messy bun and decide to ask about it.

“Sorry kid! I was looking for your mother, but I don’t know where she is.”

“She’s in her room.” The elfling looked at her like she was stupid and to be fair, she was staring to believe it herself.

“Where would that be?” The look he was giving her intensified and he pointed to the door at the end of the hall. Right. “Thanks! Now, get to bed. Do you have any idea how late it is?”

“Ugh.” The elf grunted and shut the door. Ruby couldn’t help but giggle a bit—he was absolutely adorable when he was sleepy.

She knocked on the door that the elfling had pointed at and was a little surprised to see Elrond when the door opened. Ruby could have face-palmed—they were married, of course they would share the same room. Man, she really was dumb sometimes. “Is Celebrìan here?”

“Yes, is there something wrong, Ruby?” Elrond raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“No, well…kind of, but do you think it would be alright if I borrowed Celebrìan for the night?” Ruby shuffled her feet. “I need to talk to her.”

“What is the meaning of this, Ruby?” Celebrìan asked as she appeared in the doorway next to her husband.

“I’ve had a…erm, _difficult_ evening and I could really spend some time with my girls. Please come with me, it’ll be fun!” She promised. “Edegil is going to be there too.”

“I suppose I could stay for a little while.”

“Yes!” Ruby clapped her hands together. “You won’t regret it.” The elf turned to her husband and Ruby let them have a moment before she practically dragged Celebrìan away. They found Edegil waiting in Ruby’s room holding three bottles of wine and three glasses in her outstretched arms. She looked excited, also a bit like a cactus.

Ruby was sure Celebrìan had questions that she was keeping to herself, but she wasn’t really in the mood to answer them right away. Some liquid courage would probably help, though. Especially if it was the nice stuff that she had had during her meeting with Elrond and Celebrìan. Even after that god-awful hangover she had had, the wine here was beginning to grow on her.

“Good evening, milady.” Edegil greeted Celebrìan with a small nod. “Ruby said we were going to be having a ‘girl’s night’ and hopefully she shall explain what exactly that means.”

“Good evening, Edegil.” Celebrìan smiled in return. “I was hoping for an explanation as well.” Both elves turned to look at her and Ruby gave them a sheepish grin.

“So, I’ve never actually had one before, but I’ve heard that basically, we drink, talk, play games, and generally have a good time.” She shrugged and jumped on her bed. Ruby patted the bed on either side of her a looked at both elves pointedly. “Come and sit.”

“What sort of games?” Edegil asked as she sat delicately.

“I don’t know…truth or dare? Wait! you know what would be better? Truth or drink!” Yes, drinking would be good. She didn’t even care if she payed for it tomorrow, Ruby was going to have a good time tonight. She could learn for her previous mistakes later.

“What are the rules of this game?” Celebrìan asked from where she was perched on the edge of Ruby’s bed.

“You take turns asking each other questions, but you have to answer all of the questions truthfully. If you don’t want to answer a question, then you have to take a drink.” Ruby had always thought it was kind of a childish game, but she had never had the chance to play it when she was younger, so why not now? “Shall I go first?”

“Yes.” Edegil grinned and Celebrìan nodded.

“Celebrìan, have you ever pretended to be sick so that you wouldn’t have to do something?” Ruby asked as Edegil poured wine into the three glasses and passed them around. Ruby took a large drink from hers to take the edge off. She caught the silver-haired elf looking at her with a hint of disapproval, but Ruby brushed it off. She had just been ditched in the mud, so she was entitled to a good time, right?

“Elves do not experience illness like the Edain.” Celebrìan responded. “There is no reason to pretend.”

“Oh, that is so unfair.” Ruby frowned at her cup. Winter was approaching and Ruby would undoubtedly catch a cold at some point and there would be no one to share her misery with. This was a cruel world. “Now, it’s your turn to ask.”

“Do you fancy anyone, Edegil?” Celebrìan was apparently starting with the big questions. Wow, respect. Ruby couldn’t help but grin as the shy elf blushed and took a drink of wine—effectively answering the question anyways. Ruby let an evil giggle slip past her lips. There was no way in hell that she was letting the shy elf off the hook so easily.

“What do you miss from your home?” Edegil glanced at Ruby.

“My mother mostly… _Oh!_ I also miss running water and Netflix, too.” Ruby had recently started watching _The Good Place_ , but now she would never know how it ended, which was fucking frustrating. “And…Oreo’s!” Classic snack food. Ruby would kill for some Oreo’s right now.

It was surprising how she could think about all the things from home with a bit of sadness, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been when she had first gotten here. For sure, Ruby still missed the life she had had, but she also liked the new life she was making. She had meaningful friendships, she was training so she could join the guard, and she had…well, she had _almost_ experienced love. If she were given the choice to return or stay here, she honestly had no idea what she would choose.

“What is ‘Netflix’ and how does water run?” Edegil asked, but Ruby held up her hand.

“Nuh uh, it’s my turn to ask a question.” Ruby grinned evilly. “So, Edegil, what does this mystery elf look like?” Celebrìan let out an amused chuckle as Edegil blushed again, but surprisingly answered the question.

“He has chestnut coloured hair and grey eyes that shine like starlight, he is tall and tends to smile often.” Edegil had a dreamy quality in her eyes as she described the elf she was sweet on. Ruby took a few more sips as she watched Edegil come back to reality. “Now, Celebrìan, what is it that you like the most about Lord Elrond?”

“While I like his intelligence, charm, and other qualities, I find that his smile is what I like the most.” Celebrìan’s lips curled into a small smile and she sipped from her glass delicately. “Ruby, how do you feel towards Erestor?” Her stomach knotted and Ruby found herself taking a large drink from her newly-refilled glass. She did not want to answer any questions that had to do with Erestor. Not tonight.

“What is the most embarrassing thing you have done while drunk?” She asked Edegil.

“I have never consumed enough wine to get drunk. It takes copious amounts for an elf to feel the effects.”

“Is that why all the alcohol here is so damn strong? That also makes this game pretty damn pointless for you two. Where’s the fun in it if I can’t get you guys drunk enough to spill all your secrets?” Ruby was getting tipsy-er as the elves next to her remained sitting with their perfect posture. At this rate, she would be too drunk to remember anything if she tried to get the elves smashed. This was a cruel world, indeed. “Whose turn is it?”

“Mine!” Edegil smiled. “Is there anything about your life that you would change, Celebrìan?”

“No, the sad and difficult moments just make the happier ones more precious.” How the fuck did someone get so wise? To be fair, she was in her three thousand two hundreds, so Celebrìan had probably learned from a multitude of experiences. “Where do you see yourself in the future, Ruby?”

“I dunno.” She shrugged. “I’ve never really thought ‘bout it.” She drank some more even though she was already a bit more than just buzzed. Ruby didn’t like to think too far ahead or make plans. She had always found that such thoughts lead to worries and disappointment—it was better to live in the now. “Celebrìan, if you had to—like _had_ to kiss someone in this room, who would it be?”

Celebrìan laughed out loud—tossing her head back in a way that made her silvery hair tumble down her back. The sound was also incredibly beautiful, but Ruby couldn’t help but think that it fell short compared to _his_. Nevertheless, Ruby found herself grinning like an idiot at the sound. Celebrìan took a drink from her glass as soon as her laughter subsided and smiled in amusement as she shook her head. She then turned to Edegil and asked, “What kind of personality does the elf you are interested in have?”

“He is kind and seems very open and friendly.” Edegil played with her glass—swirling the wine around. “He is much too genial to be interested in a quiet elf like me.”

“Anyone would be lucky to have you, Edegil.” Celebrìan smiled as she rested her hand on Edegil’s shoulder.

“Thank you, milady, but I am not so sure.”

“Oh, _please!_ I’d marry you for your basket-making skills alone.” Ruby interjected and Edegil blushed violently. Ruby might be a little more drunk than she thought. “You’re entirely loveable, Edegil, and the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”

“You are ‘loveable’ as well, Ruby.” Celebrìan stated and Edegil nodded along.

“Please, if I’m so loveable, then why did Erestor…why did he leave?” Ruby choked out and the waterworks started.

“What do you mean?” Edegil set her glass down and shifted closer.

“I thought he felt the same way, but he just…left.” Ruby shrugged helplessly. “I just don’t understand! I told him _everything_ and I thought he accepted me and I—Ugh!” Ruby set down her glass and buried her head in her hands. “I was so stupid! How could he ever like me like that!?” She exclaimed angrily before whispering the question that was really bothering her, “Why couldn’t he like me like that?” She groaned and leaned back onto her pillows, trying to wipe away her tears. This was exactly the thing she didn’t want to talk about, but the words had just slipped from her mouth.

“Erestor cares for you, Ruby.” Celebrìan frowned. “What did he say that makes you believe otherwise?”

“It’s what he didn’t say! We were in the middle of having a moment and he just took off—no explanation whatsoever.”

“That is strange indeed.” Edegil frowned. “Was it something you said to him perhaps?”

“At this point, I hope it was! The only other option is that he is repulsed by me like a vegan in a meat locker.”

“I’m afraid I do not quite understand everything you have said, however, do not give up on Erestor. He shall come to his senses eventually.” Celebrìan brushed a hand over Ruby’s hair and Ruby calmed down a bit. No one was quite as reassuring as Celebrìan—she always knew the right thing to say.

“Ugh! You guys shouldn’t have to listen to me blubbering.” Ruby tried to calm her breathing and wipe the evidence of her tears away.

“Ruby, we are your friends. We will be there for you whenever you need us.” Edegil smiled warmly and Ruby couldn’t help but feel better. Where would she be without her friends?

“I don’t deserve you guys.” Ruby grinned widely and wrapped her arms around both elves in a giant bear-hug. Neither Celebrìan nor Edegil seemed to know what to do and Ruby released the tense elves with a giggle and then yawned. Man, she was sleeeeepy.

“I believe it is time for us to leave.” Celebrìan spoke to Edegil as she tucked Ruby under her covers.

“I think you are correct.” Edegil grinned as Ruby snuggled deeper into her bed. She could hear the clinking of the glasses and the swooshing of fabric as someone gathered up the wine.

“Hey!” Ruby peeked at the elves from behind her blankets. “I love you guys! Thank you for coming.”

“I love you as well, Ruby.” Celebrìan smiled at Ruby endearingly while Edegil giggled. “Please, rest.” Celebrìan lingered after Edegil exited her room. “Tomorrow is a new day and I shall speak with Erestor. Do not give up hope, Ruby. Your friends will always be there for you.”

“Thanks, Celebrìan, you always give the best advice.” Ruby muttered as she drifted of into a wine-induced slumber with visions of a grumpy elf dancing in her head.


	15. Chapter 15

“Good afternoon, Lord Erestor.” Erestor had not even heard Lady Celebrìan approach him in the library, so he was a bit startled to say the least.

“Greetings, milady. May I ask why you have graced me with your presence?”

“I have come to talk some sense into you.”

“Pardon?” What did she mean by _that?_

“You are a very intelligent elf, Erestor.” Celebrìan sat across from him and placed her hands in her lap. “Why do you refuse to face your feelings?”

“I…I do not _refuse_ to face them. I realised that I was beginning down an undesirable path and I have adjusted my feelings accordingly.” Erestor could not let himself love Ruby, there was nothing in their future but desolation and sadness. If anything, he was doing everyone a service by setting his feelings aside.

“Feelings are not meant to be ‘adjusted,’ they are meant to be felt.” Celebrìan shook her head gently with disapproval. “I know I cannot tell you what to do, so I merely ask that you to rethink your choice.”

“There is nothing to rethink.”

“Love is not a one-sided emotion. You are hurting her as much as yourself.” Erestor knew this, but this pain was lesser now than what the future held if he did not do this. If only he had caught on sooner, all pain could have been avoided.

“She is young, and mortals do not love like elves do.” Erestor stated. “She can move on and find love with someone else.”

“The Edain love just as fiercely as we do, Erestor.” Celebrìan commented. “I can see that you are going to be stubborn, so I shall leave you with the same knowledge that I once told her: Love is like the will of nature. It cannot be persuaded or prevented from taking the course it has decided on and when you feel it, it cannot be easily ignored.” She stood and began to walk away.

Erestor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Celebrìan was right; it would not be easily ignored, but that didn’t mean that it was impossible.

…

When Ruby woke up the next day, she had a killer headache and the worst part was that it was _so_ not worth it. She had gotten drunk and had spilled her guts— _ugh!_ that was not a good choice of words at the moment. Ruby’s stomach churned. She was never drinking wine again.

This hangover wasn’t a bad as the first one she had had here, Ruby hadn’t consumed as much alcohol, but that didn’t mean that it was pleasant. She groaned as she drank some water from the basin and washed her face. When was she going to learn that wine didn’t solve her problems? At least Celebrìan and Edegil had managed to cheer her up a bit.

She was still upset that Erestor had left her there without an explanation, but Ruby wasn’t going to give up so easily. She would try to talk to him; try to figure out what had happened. If he told her that he didn’t like her in that way, then she would attempt to move on, but if there was even the slightest chance that he would return her feelings, Ruby was going to keep trying. She had never felt like this before and this feeling was worth fighting for.

Ruby got dressed and began to make her way to the training grounds. She was lucky that she hadn’t overslept today, Glorfindel wouldn’t appreciate her tardiness. Ruby might’ve been on time, but she would be showing up hungover and in a terrible mood. She would probably end up snapping at his cheerfulness and then she would have to apologise for her behaviour…again. Hell, he was probably used to her moodiness by now, she tended to be grumpy after her occasional nightmares anyways.

The golden elf greeted her cheerfully and Ruby didn’t even attempt to return his positive energy. He then began to lead her in their normal routine—still not teaching her any attacks with a sword yet much to her chagrin. They were just beginning to focus on her footwork when Ruby interrupted. Ever since her picnic with Erestor, she had been wondering if it was just Erestor who didn’t like jokes or if it was all elves. She had pushed that thought to the back of her mind due to more frustrating aspects of that evening, but after spending time with Glorfindel—the most happy and easy-to-laugh elf she had met—Ruby began to consider this wondering.

“Hey, Glorfindel.” Ruby gave the elf a half-hearted smile. “What do you call a pony with a cough? A little horse!” Glorfindel broke into delightful laughter and Ruby sighed her smile widening at the sound of his laughter. “At least _someone_ thinks I’m funny.”

“That was quite an amusing play on words, Ruby! Do you know anymore?” Glorfindel’s happiness could make anyone feel better. Ruby found herself nodding with a bit of enthusiasm.

“Sure. What do you call a deer with no eyes? No eye deer!”

“Glorious!” He clapped his hands together. So elves did like jokes, even if they were incredibly cheesy, or at least, Glorfindel did, but there wasn’t much that Glorfindel didn’t like. It made Ruby feel a bit better anyways and she began to enjoy her training a bit more—her mood lifting significantly.

She was lucky that she had friends that she could rely on. Ruby was glad she hadn’t tried to repeat the whole ‘being strong’ fiasco. The last thing she needed was to delay her guard training with a setback like that.

Ruby chatted with Glorfindel happily for the rest of the training session and she came out of it feeling like she could do anything.

…

She was feeling so confident and good about herself, that Ruby had gone to see Erestor in the library. She didn’t exactly know why she did it—perhaps she wanted to ask him why he left or confess how she felt about him to his face. Either way it didn’t matter because when she had arrived, he had given her the cold shoulder. He didn’t even acknowledge her presence, so Ruby had left without saying a word. It was kind of funny how one person could spend all morning cheering her up just for another to tear her down in seconds.

Ruby couldn’t bring herself to face Erestor at dinner, so she snuck some food from the kitchen and went to the garden to eat. She sat there enjoying the serenity of the garden as the sun began to set. She knew she would have to face him eventually, but not today, especially if he was going to be an absolute prick. Right now, all she needed was a full stomach and a place to sit.

Ruby hadn’t realised that she was dozing off until Celebrìan came and sat next to her—rousing her from her little nap. They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each others company, but Celebrìan eventually broke the silence. “I have spoken to Erestor.”

“What!” Ruby was definitely awake now. “Oh, that’s right, you said you would before you left last night.” Her brain finally catching up.

“Correct.” Celebrìan nodded somewhat absentmindedly. “I tried to convince him to see sense, but he is as stubborn as they come.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ruby sighed. “It’s not like I expected him to suddenly declare his love for me, but it would have been nice if he had at least tried to talk or explain instead of abandoning me last night or if he would, you know, _not_ ignore me like he did this afternoon.”

“I am afraid that Erestor is not so simple.” Celebrìan frowned. “His reaction was uncalled for; however, it does not surprise me in the least.”

“What do you mean?”

“Erestor has always been…an elf of few words when it comes to his emotions. He prefers to keep how he feels separate from how he thinks and acts. It is why he is such a good advisor. He makes choices based on logic and reasoning and he thinks with a calm and stead head.”

“You all seem to do that.” Ruby argued. All the elves that she saw seemed calm and reasonable, not a lot of rash, emotionally-driven decisions were being made around here as far as she could tell.

“Elves tend not to express their feelings outwardly.” Celebrìan explained. “However, that does not mean that we do not feel as much as we use logic. Erestor tries to sent his feelings aside entirely.”

“So, what you’re saying is that Erestor doesn’t feel anything for me because he doesn’t want to?” Ruby was just fucking lost for most of the elves-being-emotional stuff, but the part about Erestor not caring clicked. “That’s why he left and wont talk to me anymore?”

“Not exactly.” Celebrìan sighed. “Even elves—as old and wise as we are—make mistakes and fall into unhealthy habits. Do not take his distance as lack of caring, emotions run deep within elves—so much so, that they may take a while to be shown.”

“So he does care about me, but is too chicken to say anything?”

“Essentially, yes—” Celebrìan nodded and Ruby just about flew off the bench and began to pace angrily.

“That annoying elf! Here he had me all confused while he just ignored the entire situation!? He left me there— _distraught_ , might it add—in the rain to just wander off and forget all about it! No, absolutely _not!_ When I get my hands on him I’m going to…I’m going to…Okay, so I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I sure as fuck know he wont like it! Maybe I’ll sic the twins on him, ha! That would teach him a lesson about messing with my emotional well-being, the prick.”

“Are you finished?”

“Heh, yeah. Sorry about that.” Ruby hadn’t meant to fly of the handle like that, but hey, she felt a lot better now. She sat back down on the bench and took a calming deep breath.

“I believe it would be wise to let him come to his senses on his own time. If I have learned anything in my long life, it’s that males cannot be rushed.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Ruby had once thought that men were complicated. It seemed that elves were ten times harder to figure out.

…

It had been _months_ —almost a year in fact—and that annoying elf still hadn’t come to his senses. After a ridiculously loooooong time, Ruby had decided that enough was enough and she tried to confess her feelings and get him to admit that he felt something too. That was the only time that they had spoken, and it had not gone well. There was yelling and arguing, she even managed to call him a ‘crotchety old rooster.’ As one could imagine, the had not improved the situation at all and Erestor went back to not speaking to her.

That was the only thing that had changed—them not talking. Ruby still spent her most of her evenings in the library sketching and they still ate dinner at the same table—when Erestor deemed eating food necessary, the idiot had thrown himself into his work and no one could convince him to take a break…ever. The worst part was that he still gave her little touches every so often—which was like torture, but she also didn’t want it to stop. Ruby clung to any little piece of Erestor she could get, which was pathetic and sad, but Ruby was past the point of caring what people thought. She just wanted _him_ back, not the silent, brooding Erestor that worked almost non-stop.

On the upside, she hadn’t had a nightmare in fourteen days and counting. The longest streak had been twenty days and it had been so fucking great. Ruby was still, however, extremely claustrophobic. Just thinking about being trapped in a tiny space gave her the heebie-jeebies. No thank you. But that wasn’t much of an issue as long as, you know _, she didn’t go in a small space_.

Glorfindel had eventually trained her with a sword after a small-ish amount of begging and over-the-top flattery. Ruby really hadn’t expected it to work, but it seemed that not even Glorfindel was above giving her what she wanted just to shut her up. Sword fighting was hard work, fucking exhausting, a pain in the ass sometimes, and Ruby absolutely loved every second of it.

She just felt so badass with a sword in her hand, even if she was still better at fighting without one. Glorfindel made sure that she was still extremely competent with a sword, though. She could probably kick anyone in the Underneath’s ass in a sword fight, hands down.

Glorfindel had even deemed her good enough to spar with other elves, which was a huge compliment because Ruby was still no where near as strong or fast. She had improved for sure, but she was still human. The only upside was that if she was disarmed, she could still hold her own better than any of the other elves could. The trade off was that she was definitely not on the same level as them with a sword. To be fair, she had been training with one for almost a year and they had been training for like, _thousands_ of years.

She had even won a couple of times and baffled the elves with her fantastic take-downs. Ruby had even been asked to teach some elves a few moves, which made her somewhat popular. It seemed that elves really liked to learn cool new things. She had even seen some of them use what she taught them to win during sparring and it made her feel proud. That’s right, the human was a badass and an awesome teacher.

She was feeling great today because she had managed to defeat an elf while actually _using_ her sword. Ruby was literally so impressed with herself she had hugged the poor elf she had defeated, much to his surprise and to the surprise of everyone around them. What had been even better, was that Glorfindel had taken her aside and told her that she had proved herself worthy to go on her first rotation.

She was given a uniform and her very own sword. Ruby couldn’t remember a time where she had been this excited. Everything would have been perfect if that stupid grumpy elf would get over himself and admit his feelings. Ruby brushed that thought off and went to share the good news with all of her friends.

“Edegil! Guess what!” Ruby exclaimed as she approached her friend as soon as she spotted her walking down the hallway.

“Perhaps you have discovered some of the ‘Netflix’ here?”

“No, better! Glorfindel said that I can go on my first guard rotation! Isn’t that great?” Ruby clapped her hands together and was practically dancing around.

“That is wonderful news, indeed!” Edegil offered her a fist-bump and Ruby happily obliged. So far, Edegil was the only one who had really taken to initiating the action and Ruby absolutely adored her for it.

“Hell, yeah it is!” Ruby grinned. “I’ll catch you later, Edegil. I have to tell absolutely everyone that I know!” _Except Erestor_ , Ruby filled in silently. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that she couldn’t really share this with him, but she wasn’t going to let that dampen her mood. In fact, she was done letting him ruin anything for her. Ruby was still crazy about him, but she would be damned if she was going to let that stop her from living her life.

It was time for lunch, so Ruby made her way to the dining hall. Celebrìan and Elrond were already there, and she figured that Glorfindel would have already informed them, but she didn’t care in the slightest. “Hey guys! Guess what?”

“What is it, Ruby?” Elrond gave her a rare grin.

“Glorfindel said that I could go on my first guard rotation!” Ruby sat down in her usual spot and returned his grin.

“That is delightful, Ruby.” Celebrìan smiled.

“I so excited!” Ruby was so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t realised that the twins and Glorfindel had shown up. She was brought out of her excited daze by food being placed on the table and she immediately began to scarf it down.

Once she had eaten her fill, Ruby turned to Glorfindel to ask some questions that she had forgotten to ask in her eagerness to tell her friends the great news. For instance, when exactly was she supposed to leave for this rotation?

“Hey, Glorfy, when is this guard rotation happening?”

“In a few days.” He grinned at her, mirroring the one of her face.

“Okay, what do I need to bring?”

“You should pack a sleeping mat, provisions for a week, and your sword of course!”

“Right.” She didn’t have a sleeping mat or provisions. Ruby could just sneak stuff from the kitchen, but some food only last so long after they’re taken out of the cool storage area.

“I am sure Edegil and myself can help you.” Glorfindel eased her worries instantly.

“Perfect!” Now all she needed to do was wait a couple days, easy right? Not.

The next couple of days passed agonisingly slowly and it didn’t help that she had had a nightmare during that time, effectively ending her streak. It helped that she could focus on her training instead of how slowly that time was passing.

Ruby really wanted to prove herself on this rotation, so she was working her ass off. She didn’t want to make any dumb mistakes and get anyone killed. She hadn’t forgotten about her run-in with those nasty creatures that she learned were called ‘orcs.’ They starred in some of her nightmares sometimes when her subconscious decided to be a bitch and switch things up a bit.

Nevertheless, the night before her big day eventually showed up and, of course, Ruby couldn’t fall asleep for the life of her. It was honestly just her luck, getting less sleep before something she should be well-rested for. Fucking fantastic.

Ruby eventually drifted off desperately hoping that she wouldn’t oversleep and miss her first guard rotation. Wouldn’t that be a great first impression.


	16. Chapter 16

Ruby felt something nudge her arm through her blanket and shot into a seated position. No one ever came into her room while she was sleeping…ever. So the fact that something had touched her was quite startling. Ruby was used to waking up on her own time, so she was a bit disoriented.

“WHO THE FU—!?” She started but paused when she saw a blushing elf next to her bed. “…Glorfindel?”

“My apologies, milady!” He was speaking uncharacteristically fast and it took Ruby a second to figure out why. When she had sat up, the blanket that had been covering her _naked_ body had fallen and her breasts were on full display. _Oh_ , _yikes!_

“Oops!” She yanked the blanket back up over her small chest and gave Glorfindel a sheepish grin, but he was currently looking at anywhere but at her. “I’m covered, you can look at me now.”

“I really should not have entered without your consent, milady.” The elf still refused to look at her. “I did not want you to be late for your first rotation and you did not answer when I knocked.”

“Glorfindel, you don’t have to call me ‘milady’ just because you’ve seen my breasts.” Ruby rolled her eyes. “It’s not like there’s much to see anyways.”

“My actions are inexcusable, Ruby!”

“Oh, calm down. If it would make you feel better, you can take off your shirt and then we’d be even.” Ruby winked cheekily. 

“Absolutely not!” The poor elf looked positively scandalized. Who knew Glorfindel was such a prude?

“Shame.” Ruby shrugged. “Since I don’t want to be late, would you mind waiting outside so that I can get dressed?” Man, she didn’t have to ask him twice. The elf scurried into the hallway faster than Ruby could blink.

She couldn’t help but feel amused. A couple-thousand-year-old elf was scared of her boobs, so much so, that he had literally fled the room. She would literally have so many way she could tease him it was making her brain hurt.

Ruby got dressed in her new guard uniform and couldn’t help but feel proud of herself. She had come so far and now she would protect the people she cared about and the city she lived in. She would be doing something respectable, something worth while. It also helped that she felt totally badass with her wrist guards and the fucking _sword_ sheathed at her side. Yeah, she was rocking this look.

Ruby exited her room after slinging the pack she had prepared the night before over her shoulder and found Edegil instead of Glorfindel waiting for her. Man, she had really given him a scare apparently. “Hey, Edegil! Where did Glorfindel go?”

“He asked me to bring you to the front entrance where you will meet up with the other guards.” Edegil explained before giving Ruby a suspicious glance. “Ruby, Glorfindel seemed quite distressed. Did something happen?”

“Nothing at all.” Ruby smirked—a giggle slipping past her lips—and Edegil narrowed her eyes.

“Hmm.” Ruby smiled as innocently as she could muster, but Edegil didn’t seem convinced. They continued in silence until Ruby felt the need to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind.

“As my friend, will you see me off?” Ruby asked as she followed Edegil as she led her to the front entrance. “Like, stay with me until I have to leave?”

“Of course.”

“Good.” Phew, Ruby was feeling increasingly more nervous as they got closer to the entrance. It would be nice to have a friendly face there as a comfort. Not that the other guards weren’t friendly, it was just that she knew Edegil a lot better. It didn’t help that she had no idea who would be on the patrol with her.

They approached the group and Ruby noticed that Edegil began to curl into herself like she was shying away from something. Ruby looked at her friend and then turned to see what her friend was looking at that would require such a response. Edegil was staring furtively at a guard that held a bow. He had startlingly bright grey eyes that seemed almost silver and a wide smile, it seemed to get a little brighter as he noticed Ruby and Edegil approach. Interesting.

Another interesting detail was his almost reddish-brown hair that Ruby might almost call…chestnut. Oh, ho, ho! What did we have here? Was this Edegil’s mystery elf? Ruby met Edegil’s eyes and nodded her head discretely in the male’s direction, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Her friends answering blush was all the confirmation she needed. Ruby smirked evilly. It would seem that she would be making a new friend on this rotation.

“You are staring!” Edegil complained.

“I’m sorry, but if there is a delicious piece of eye-candy, I’m going to look at it.” Ruby shrugged. “Just saying.”

“Ruby!”

“Fine. I’ll stop.” Ruby promised.

“Thank you.” Edegil sighed in relief, but Ruby just couldn’t help herself.

“…after this!”

“No, Ruby!” Edegil shook her head frantically.

“Thanks for taking me here, Edegil! You’re so _kind_.” Ruby spoke loudly which gained some curious eyes. Edegil’s blush deepened and she shushed Ruby when she began to giggle. Fine. She would tease her when she got back.

Ruby joined her fellow guards and made sure to pick a spot next to the elf that Edegil fancied. She turned to listen to Glorfindel who was explaining a few details and adamantly not meeting her eyes. Seriously? It was just boobs. Ruby sighed and made sure to pay attention. This was her first patrol and she didn’t want to fuck it up.

They were just about to set out, when Ruby caught a glimpse of chocolate coloured hair. What was _he_ doing there? She certainly hadn’t told him that she had her first guard rotation. Ruby did her best to ignore him as he approached her. She had tried to do the whole ‘wait for him to figure it out’ thing, but Ruby had gotten tired of waiting around. If he wasn’t going to be reasonable, she wouldn’t be either.

“Ruby.” What’s this!? It speaks. Ruby looked at him with her best disinterested look and said nothing. “I have come to tell you that I am happy for you. I wish you luck on your first rotation.”

“You don’t get to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend to care after you pretended that you didn’t for all that time.” She bit back.

“I admit that I have been acting a bit foolishly and I wish that we can be friends.” _Yeah, right._

“‘Foolish?’” Ruby laughed cynically. “I’m pretty sure you’re just emotionally stunted.”

“Ruby.” Erestor scowled at her. “I am trying to apologise for my behaviour.”

“Well, you’re not good at it!”

“That is because you are not giving me a chance.”

“Ha, why should I give you a chance after you ignored me for _months?_ ”

“I realise that I have been being difficult, however I am trying to make amends.” Well, she had to give him that. He was finally _trying_ at least, but that didn’t mean she had to forgive him right away.

“Why now?” He had months to try to do this, why was he saying these things when she was leaving?

“Someone has put some things into perspective for me and I realise that I have been treating you poorly. I wish to be your friend; will you agree to such a request?” Whoever had talked to him was fucking amazing and Ruby owed them a drink. Even Celebrìan had tried and failed to reason with him.

“I suppose that would be okay.” She still didn’t fully forgive him for being a prick for all this time, but Ruby was willing to extend an olive branch if he was.

“Thank you.” Erestor sighed and it looked as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “As your friend, I request that you be careful on your rotation and I shall see you when you return.” And with that said, he turned and left.

Ruby smiled to herself as he left until she realized that she had an audience. All the other guards around her—minus Glorfindel who still wouldn’t meet her gaze—were looking at her and she wiped the smile off her face and turned back to Glorfindel and hoped that everyone else will follow suit.

They set out shortly after and Ruby walked next to Edegil’s mystery elf in silence for a while. There was idle chatter from the other elves around them and Ruby was only slightly surprised that he broke the silence. In her previous experiences with elves, they were usually content to be silent.

“I am Valin.” He smiled at her.

“Nice to meet you, Valin. I’m Ruby.” Ruby took note of the other guard that took up the spot on Valin’s right. “Who’s this?” Ruby nodded to the other guard.

“Minhiriath.” _Oh, god_. Ruby didn’t think she could say that.

“Can you repeat that _very_ slowly?”

“Minhiriath.” The she-elf sounded it out for her, but Ruby was almost certain she was about to butcher it.

“Min—Minhear…y-eth?” Ruby winced. That didn’t fucking sound like it at all. How had she gotten all the other names, but failed so miserably when it came to this one? Her venture to make friends was not going well. “I’m sorry, but do you perhaps have a nickname or something?”

“I do not know what you mean by ‘nick-name.’” The she-elf frowned in confusion.

“Like a shorter version of your name I could use?” Ruby frowned for a little while before she snapped her fingers. “Like Minnie! Would it be alright if I called you ‘Minnie?’”

“I suppose.” The she-elf gave her a funny look.

“I think that is fun! ‘Minnie’ suits you, Minhiriath.” Valin grinned. “Ruby, will you give me a ‘nick-name?’”

“Dude, your name is easy. It’s like two syllables.”

“‘Dude!’ What an interesting name.” Valin exclaimed. “I like it, thank you, Ruby.” Eh, why not?

And that’s how Ruby became friends with Dude and Minnie.

The conversation flowed easily between the three of them as they continued to the border. It turned out the Minnie was one of the best archers in Rivendell and Dude had a bit of a rivalry with her over it. Ruby loved their playful banter, but she also felt a bit sad for Edegil because Minnie and Dude had a great dynamic.

“So you’re telling me that you could hit that tree over there from here!?” Ruby was astonished. “It’s got to be over a mile away…are you sure we’re looking at the same tree?” Dude laughed and Minnie smirked at her.

“I could hit one that is farther if I had my longbow.” Minnie stated as she ran a finger across the wooden part of her bow lovingly.

“Wow.” Ruby wasn’t going to lie; she was absolutely amazed. Sure, she had seen some elves practice on the training grounds and that had been impressive, but this was incomprehensible. “Can Dude do that?”

“He wishes.” Minnie grinned as Dude made a noise of protest.

“I could, Minnie. Why do you think so little of my skill?”

“You seem to forget about that time when you thought you could shoot a target on the range from your balcony.” Dude groaned and tugged on the ends of his chestnut-coloured hair.

“I though you said you would stop mentioning that.”

“I shall never let you forget that.” Minnie laughed. “The look on Lord Glorfindel’s face was hilarious!”

“Wait, wait, wait! Glorfindel is in this? Start from the beginning!”

“No! Minnie, do not poison Ruby’s image of me.” Dude cried out dramatically.

“C’mon! Tell me, Minnie. You know you want to.” Ruby pleaded. This story sounded great and Ruby _really_ wanted to know.

“It would be a shame for you to be left out, all the other guards have already heard it.” Minnie contemplated.

“No. Do not do it!”

“Do it, do it, do it!” Ruby chanted and Dude shook his head with a defeated sigh.

“Ugh! I suppose you will probably hear about it at some point.” He relented after a moment. “It would best if I was here to defend myself anyways.”

“Yes!” Ruby cheered. _Fuck yes!_

“A few decades ago, we were having a competition and Dude decided that he would prove his skill by pulling off a magnificent shot from his balcony to the training grounds. I, of course, told him that that was a ridiculous idea.” Minnie was cut off by Dude, who interjected with a displeased frown.

“You were the one who goaded me into going through with it.” He complained.

“Please, Dude, I am in the middle of telling a grand story.” Minnie smirked again as Dude huffed. “So he took the shot, but his aim was off and Lord Glorfindel just so happened to be walking by the archery range at that time.”

“Oh no.” Ruby covered her mouth as a giggle threatened to spill out. It seemed pretty clear what happened next. “He didn’t.”

“He did!” Minnie laughed. “He ended up shooting Lord Glorfindel in the leg! Lord Glorfindel was so surprised, the memory of his expression still makes me laugh.”

“Oh, god!” Ruby laughed. “Dude, what did you do?”

“What does one do when there is a furious elf out for your blood? You run and hide, Ruby!” This sent Ruby into a bout of hysterical laughter. “It is not funny. He is absolutely terrifying when he is angry, even with an arrow sticking out of his leg.” Ruby didn’t doubt that. Glorfindel had a sunny disposition most of the time, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t intimidating. Just thinking about him yelling was a terrifying thought. “He was right to berate me; it was a foolish thing to do. Someone could have gotten very injured because of my pride.”

“That may be true, but I remember you using an interesting excuse as to why you missed.” Minnie smirked at him and he scowled at her.

“I stand by my defence.” Dude crossed his arms.

“What? What is your defence?” Ruby asked.

“It was quite windy that day.”

“Dude, that’s a terrible excuse!” Ruby exclaimed between her giggles. Man, if her rotations were always with these two, there wouldn’t be a dull moment.

Eventually, Glorfindel called for then to stop. That had walked all day—a few elves being sent ahead to scout as they went—and they had finally reached the border apparently. Ruby had no idea how large Rivendell was until now and man, it was pretty impressive. She doubted it was anywhere near as big a San Diego, but she had never tried to walk to the city limit while she lived there and wasn’t particularly good with distances.

The sun was about to set and Glorfindel instructed everyone to set up camp. Ruby asked Minnie for help because she was sure that Glorfindel was still going to be all awkward and formal. After everything was set up, Ruby helped gather some firewood. In all honesty, it felt a bit like she was traveling with Gerrolt, Cern, and Remnad, but without someone dying. It was kind of fun.

“Ruby.” Glorfindel appeared beside her—still not meeting her eyes. For fuck’s sake.

“Yes?”

“You shall be taking second watch and I shall let you decide who you wish to take it with.”

“Sweet!” Time for her to grill Dude about his romantic interests. What kind of friend would she be if she didn’t at least try to see if he had any interest in Edegil at all? “I know just the elf for the job.”

“Alright.” Glorfindel nodded and Ruby wandered around the campsite for a bit until she spotted Dude.

“Hey, dude!” She called. “Do you want to take second watch with me?”

“Of course, Ruby.”

“Perfect.” She grinned and clapped her hand together. This this would be interesting.

Night came soon after and Ruby tried to get some sleep, she really did, but it was hard to sleep with clothes on. It wasn’t long before another elf came to wake her for her watch. Ruby looked around at the elves laying around them and sucked in a sharp breath. They all had their eyes open like they were dead. “What the actual fuck!?” She hissed at the elf who had woken her up.

“Pardon?”

“Why are they all like that?”

“Milady?”

“Their eyes are open!” She suppressed a shudder—it was fucking creepy. The elf she had been talking to had the audacity to look amused.

“That is how elves rest. Did no one tell you?”

“No, and when I get back to Rivendell there are a few elves I will be having a _lovely_ conversation with.” She expected this kind of thing from the twins, but Elrond or Celebrìan could have mentioned something. Hell, Glorfindel could have said something! It wasn’t like it was hard. _Hey, Ruby, if you wake up and everyone looks like their staring at you like Chucky, don’t worry about it._

The elf chuckled softly and went to go lay down while Ruby stewed angrily. She eventually walked over to Dude and ignored the look he gave her. Ha, ha, laugh at the human who doesn’t know that elves sleep with their eyes open. Ruby stood next to Dude and listened to the sounds of nature for a bit. It was quite peaceful just being under the stars, so it didn’t take long for her to calm down.

“So, Dude, what’s your deal?” Ruby asked quietly—knowing that he would be able to hear her. Elves had really great hearing and were stupidly quiet when they walked. Glorfindel had tried to teach her to walk almost as quiet, but she wasn’t very good at it. She suspected that was why he didn’t want her to be one of the people who scouted ahead. Everything would hear her coming and she wouldn’t be able to hear them.

“What do you mean, Ruby.”

“Are you and Minnie an item or just friends?” Ruby asked bluntly. What would beating around the bush accomplish?

“We are friends, Ruby, but what does that have to do with anything?” He asked in confusion.

“Interesting. Do you have a special elf that you are in a relationship with?”

“No.” He stated with a blush dusting his cheeks.

“But there is someone you _want_ to be in a relationship with! Who?” Ruby exclaimed in an excited whisper. “We’re friends man, you can trust me.”

“Ruby.” He complained quietly. “Can we talk about something else?”

“C’mon, my romantic life is basically trash.” Ruby frowned. Her little chat with Erestor had been enough for her to really hope that something could happen between them, but any romance was still a far way off. “You’ve got to give me something.”

“Fine. There is an Elleth that I like, but that is all.”

“Does she know?” Ruby was excited. Edegil had a chance with her mystery elf—Ruby hadn’t forgot how he had smiled at them as they had approached the group of guards this morning. “You should tell her if she doesn’t.”

“Ruby.”

“What? Do you expect her to read your mind?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“I…Can we talk about something else, please?” Dude frowned and Ruby felt a bit guilty for pressuring him. Maybe he just needed some time to get more comfortable with her before talking about such a personal matter.

“Alright. I will give you a break tonight, but don’t think that I’ll let this go forever. You’re stuck out here with me all week, remember.” Ruby smirked nudging his shoulder and Dude playfully shoved her back.


	17. Chapter 17

“Tell me, Dude, are all male elves romantically incompetent?” Ruby asked as she sketched Erestor’s face on the small piece of paper she had brought with her. She knew his face so well; she could do it from memory. There was always something off about her drawings—something she could never quite capture. Dude thought it was pretty accurate, but he didn’t know Erestor’s face like she did.

Ruby sighed as she added some finishing touches and tucked the drawing into a pocket on her tunic. She had been drawing him because they had just started their final watch for this rotation and Ruby was feeling a bit agitated about her Erestor situation. They would be returning to Rivendell tomorrow and she had no idea what to say to the idiot elf.

He had finally talked to her. Did that mean that he had finally gotten over whatever had been making him be a complete dick to everyone or was he just going to say rude things to her face now instead of ignoring her? Ruby hadn’t forgotten all the pain he had caused her—not to mention all the pent-up sexual frustration. She hadn’t gotten laid in well over a year now and she was placing the blame on him. It was, of course, not his fault, but Ruby was mad at him anyways, so why not? The real question was: should she forgive him or give him a taste of his own medicine?

If Ruby did decide that she was going to ignore Erestor when she got back, she would be inevitably dragging this frustration on for a longer period of time. Ruby didn’t want that, she just wanted _him_. She wanted to play with his hair while he worked and look into his eyes for hours, she wanted him to hold her in his arms as they talked about nothing and everything. Ruby wanted to watch him scowl at her when she got on his nerves by teasing him; she wanted to try to make him laugh with her dumb jokes. Was that too much to ask?

She wanted to love him and have his love in return, but that irritating elf felt like taking his fucking time and Ruby just wanted…Erestor. Ugh! Why was everything a jumbled mess of crap? Why was nothing ever easy with that grumpy idiot?

“What do you mean?” Dude asked a bit startled by her sudden question.

“Well, you won’t tell me who your mystery lady is and Erestor is just plain confusing in an emotional sense.” Ruby shrugged. “It’s not boding well for your kind.”

“Are you sure Erestor is interested in you romantically?”

“C’mon, dude! When I left he told me that he would miss me—that’s something!” Ruby thought she was convincing, but Dude seemed to see through it. “Well, technically he said, ‘be careful’ but I read between the lines.” Ruby shrugged as Dude sighed.

“Did he not say he wanted to be friends?” Yes, there was _that_ temporary setback. Thanks for that lovely reminder.

“Eh, that’s a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things.” Ruby was _not_ going to be friend-zoned. There was no way in hell. “Who are you to question me about my love life anyways? You’re the one whose too chicken to say your girl’s name out loud.”

“I am not a chicken!”

“Are too.”

“Fine. I fancy…Edegil!” He admitted finally. Fuck, yeah! The was no way that Ruby wasn’t going to play matchmaker. They were both into each other but were too scared to say anything and Ruby was going to take care of that.

“I can’t believe that actually worked.” Ruby giggled. “You really caved because I goaded you into it. You would think that you would have learned from the Glorfindel incident.”

“No.” He groaned, letting his head rest on the tree next to him.

“Now I know how to get you to do basically anything, which includes telling her how you feel.” Ruby winked with a smirk.

“I cannot, Ruby.”

“Why? You guy would be perfect for each other!” Edegil was all shy and quiet and Valin was proud and rambunctious. Opposites attract, right? If that was the case, then she ought to be a wizard at sorting out her emotions because Erestor couldn’t seem to do it worth a damn.

“I do not think she would want me. She deserves someone who can give her everything. I would be inadequate—I am just a guard.”

“She’d totally be into that!” _She already wants you, you idiot!_

“How do you know?” Ruby was not going to spill her friends secret, Edegil trusted her with this information and Ruby was not going to break the sacred rule of girls' night: what ever happens during girls' night, stays at girls' night.

“How do you know that she wouldn’t want you?” Ruby turned the question back around on him. “You haven’t told her that you like her!”

“You make a good point,” Dude sighed in defeat. “but I can’t help but fear that she will reject me.”

“That’s risk you take for the chance of the reward, my friend.” Ruby patted him on the shoulder. “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you never take.” That’s right, she just quoted Hedley—or was it Wayne Gretzky? Eh, whatever. He didn’t need to know that.

“That is quite wise, Ruby.”

“Well, you know, it was bound to happen at some point.” She rolled her eyes. Ruby could be wise if she wanted to and there was definitely no way in hell she was going to tell him that she hadn’t been the one to come up with that. Maybe she should quote songs more often. “And, you know, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.”

“You are quite right, Ruby.” He smiled. “I believe that I will tell her when we return.” Yeah, the song lyric thing worked like a charm—how had she never noticed this before? Thank you, Led Zeppelin!

“No worries, that’s what friends are for.” She grinned. Ruby was really liking her friendship with Dude and Minnie. They were more playful, like the twins. They were really the highlight of her whole guard rotation experience, even if they teased her incessantly about not knowing that elves slept with their eyes open and for being loud. It was all good fun and Ruby made sure to thoroughly tease them back.

She eventually got used to the elves staring creepily as they slept and travelling all day long. In all honesty, it was pretty boring. She was lucky that Dude and Minnie had some entertaining stories or else this might’ve just been a week-long hike through the forest. There had been literally no action, which was supposedly a good thing, but Ruby was used to training everyday and having fights every week.

But as they say, be careful what you wish for.

“Do you hear that?” Dude asked in a hushed whisper and Ruby strained her ears, but all she heard was silence.

“No, should I be hearing something?” She whispered back.

“Something approaches.” Wow, way to be fucking ominous, Dude. “Go wake Lord Glorfindel.” Ruby nodded and briskly walked through the camp as quietly as she could.

“Hey, wake up!” She whispered as she jabbed Glorfindel in the ribs with her foot. His eyes became alert immediately and it was a bit freaky to watch, but that was not why she was there. “Valin heard something.”

“Very good, Ruby, wake up the others.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Ruby began to rouse the elves in the camp, which was pretty easy. They all woke at the slightest touch and seemed to understand what was going on without her having to explain anything.

Ruby saw everyone begin to whisk themselves away and Minnie appeared next to her—silently gesturing for her to follow. Ruby made sure to step in the spots where she did and moved swiftly after the she-elf. Minnie led her to the base of a large tree and began to climb—Ruby followed with a hint of curiosity building up in her chest. Where were they going?

Once they were high in the branches, Minnie began to hop from one tree to the next and Ruby felt herself grin as she followed suit. “Is this what it’s like to be a squirrel?” She hissed quietly as they hopped to the next tree. “I knew it! This is so badass!” All those climbing exercises Glorfindel had put her through were finally making sense.

Minnie shook her head and shushed her before pointing to the ground. There was a group of maybe twenty-ish orcs—it was hard to tell in the dark. Ruby could just make out their shapes in the dim light that the moon shone down. Minnie silently drew her bow and took aim. Ruby watched with fascination as the archers all fired simultaneously—probably hearing or seeing some sort of cue that Ruby hadn’t.

Their arrows rained down and then it was over. All the orcs were dead, and Ruby felt slightly miffed—still no action. She followed Minnie back to the ground where Glorfindel was. He was talking to five members of their fifteen-person patrol in elvish and then they took off, some going in different directions. Probably scouts or something.

“This rotation will be extended due to this large group of orcs being so close to our borders.” The golden elf stated, and Ruby felt a little bit of happiness. Maybe she would get to see some action after all. “We shall pile the carcasses, but we will not burn them until we are sure that there are no other parties of orcs lurking around.”

Ruby found that she really didn’t like moving dead orc carcasses. They were smelly, gross, and generally something she didn’t want to touch. They were also ridiculously heavy and hard to maneuver, but eventually all of the bodies were piled in the center of a nearby clearing.

Ruby strolled back to where everyone else was and listened as Glorfindel made decisions. She caught herself dozing off a couple of times—she had gotten about an hour of sleep and it didn’t look like she would be getting anymore tonight.

Suddenly, all the elves froze, and it was silent. Ruby strained her ear and this time, she heard something—it was like a bass thumping in the distance. What the hell was that? The elves began to move again, but this time they were slightly more frantic. “What’s going on?” Ruby asked Minnie as she was about to rush past her.

“A very large party of orcs is heading this way.”

“How large?”

“Fifty strong at least.” Now, they were talking. Ten against fifty—Ruby would definitely get to do something this time. Ruby went to go find Glorfindel to see what the game plan was.

“Hey, Glorfindel, what are we doing?”

“We are waiting for reinforcements, Ruby.” _Hell_ , _naw_.

“But aren’t they getting closer? Wouldn’t it be best if we took them out now?”

“Ruby, these creatures are dangerous, and we are outnumbered.”

“C’mon Glorfy, I’ll even be bait.” Ruby suggested.

“Absolutely not!” Glorfindel seemed shocked that she had even suggested such a thing.

“Think about it, I’ll distract them while you guys get into position, reinforcements will be on their way, and there’s a better chance that we can control the fight by starting it on our terms. They won’t be expecting me to be there and I’m not what they would consider threatening.” Ruby explained. “If anything goes wrong, I can just high-tail it out of there and maybe even lead them away. You know I can do it, Glorfindel.”

“Ruby, I will not endanger you when we can wait and have a better chance.”

“You don’t trust me.”

“No, Ruby, I am trying to make the best decision for everyone, and your plan requires us to risk a lot.”

“The greater the risk, the more potential for a better reward.” Ruby argued. They were wasting time. “It’s my life, it’s now or never.” Come on, Bon Jovi, please get Glorfindel to understand your wisdom.

“I am sorry, Ruby, but I cannot let you do that.” _Fuck,_ maybe the song thing only worked on Dude. It’s not like she could just go rogue and sneak off, the elves would notice. She also couldn’t take on fifty people all by herself.

Ruby huffed and walked away. She was itching for a fight and all this waiting was making her antsy. She settled for doing some stretches so that she would be ready for when they actually _did_ something. Ruby also made sure to snack on some lembas bread. Just looking at the bread made her smile—Edegil had given it to her and Ruby had thought that she had called it ‘lamb ass’ bread which sparked a _very_ interesting conversation about the ingredients.

Eating some food improved her mood, for sure, but Ruby was still tired and irritable. Luckily, backup showed up a few minutes later. Ruby was more than ready to kick some orc ass and followed Dude who had found her and gestured for her to go with him.

Ruby grinned as the orcs came into sight, she tucked herself behind a tree—her leather tunic blending in like camouflage. She wanted to unsheathe her sword, but the silver-coloured blade would be easy to spot glinting in the moonlight, so she refrained.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows was launched from the surrounding trees and a bunch of orcs fell, but the remaining ones charged forward with shouts and growls. Hell, yes! Ruby unsheathed her sword and charged to meet them with the other elves around her. She ducked under a sword that was aimed at her throat and stabbed low, slicing into the orc’s gut below its makeshift armour.

She turned to her left and blocked another blade, Ruby could see Dude next to her slicing left and right with twin daggers. Ruby kicked the legs out from beneath the orc in front of her and stabbed her sword downwards. Blood sprayed in her face, but Ruby wiped it off with her sleeve and lopped an arm off the one on her right—fuck, this elvish sword was _sharp_. She put the beast out of its misery shortly after by beheading it.

Ruby stood and looked around, most of the orcs were finished off and none were currently targeting her. She looked over her shoulder to check on Dude and noticed that he had lost one of his daggers and another orc was creeping up behind him while he fought the one in front.

Time seemed to slow down as Ruby took in the situation. Oh, she would never be able to look Edegil in the eyes if she let Valin die. Not when he returned her feelings, Ruby couldn’t let their chance of happiness be ruined when she could have done something. So, Ruby decided that she was going to do the honourable, stupidly heroic thing and she threw herself in Valin’s direction, pushing him out of the way as the sword was thrust forward. She gasped in pain as it pierced her gut.

Pain arced through her body, radiating from her stomach and Ruby fell to her knees. The sword was yanked harshly out of her body and she clutched her hands to the bleeding wound. The hot blood spilling out from between her fingers. She could see Valin yelling at her, but his words didn’t seem to register.

Black spots danced in her vision and Ruby felt a jolt of pain as she fell to the side.

…

Glorfindel had never been so worried about Erestor’s wrath in his entire life. He watched as Valin cradled Ruby’s barely conscious form—yelling for a healer. He should not have let her join the guard so soon, he had been foolish to believe that there would not be any attacks. He should have sent her back to Imladris when the threat of a larger party was upon them, but deep down, Glorfindel knew that she would not have left. Ruby was a fiery Edain and would never run from a fight. It was not in her nature.

He was sure, so sure, that she could handle herself—that she had learned enough with a sword to hold her own. How was she now laying in Valin’s arms bleeding? He had not seen how she had gotten injured, but Glorfindel felt like on some level, it was his fault.

He went to her side and knelt next to her and a healer looked over her wounds. Feriaron was one of the best healers, surely she would be alright. “The blade was poisoned, there is not much that I can do for her here.” Glorfindel felt his heart sink.

“I’ll be fine…it’s just a small stab wound…” Glorfindel watched as she coughed, blood sliding from the corner of her mouth. A bright red line that showed that she was anything but fine.

“Worry not, Ruby. We shall get you to help.” Glorfindel brushed some strands of her hair from her face in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He wanted to take her back himself, but he couldn’t leave his soldiers leaderless. He was needed here. “Valin, take one of the horses that the reinforcements rode here on and take her back to Imladris, swiftly!”

“She pushed me out of the way, Lord Glorfindel. It should not have been her.” Valin spoke distractedly and tugged on the ends of his hair. “Why did she do it?” Ah, so she had been ready, but somehow this information did nothing to improve the guilt Glorfindel felt.

“I’m still here, idiot. You would…think you would be a bit…more…grateful.” Ruby wheezed. “Ouch! Watch it, man.” She tried to bat Feriaron’s hands away, but her hand only raised halfway before falling limply to the ground.

“We do not have time for that now, Valin.” Glorfindel eyed her warily. Ruby was not looking good.

“Of course!” Valin picked her body up—Ruby cursing at him for causing her pain—once Feriaron had bound the wound and rushed off. She looked so weak. Glorfindel knew she would hate for him to think that, but she was all pale and sweaty and it made his heart clench in his chest.

He hoped that she would make it to Imladris in time, but it did not look good. Why did you do it, Ruby? Glorfindel lowered his gaze and picked up Ruby’s sword that had been abandoned in the rush. She was strong, she would be alright. It was Ruby. Fierce and bright _Ruby_. She had not been in their lives long enough; she could not leave this earth now.

Glorfindel lifted his head and began to give orders. The faster they finished up here, the faster he could return and check on his friend. There was not much he could do now but hope that Valin made it before it was too late.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have started working again, so the updates might be a bit slower. This chapter may be a bit confusing and it ends on a bit of a nasty cliffhanger. Sorry!

Ruby felt worse than absolute shit if that was even possible. It was like she was nauseous and tired, while also being pureed in a blender. She opened her eyes slightly to see where she was and was met with a face full of…brown hair? “Erestor?” She asked as her head spun.

Everything was getting hard to focus on and seemed…twirl-y. Her body kept getting tossed around in a rhythmic motion like she was trapped on the dance floor of the worst rave ever. It was kind of like she was at a shitty amusement park—Ruby wasn’t quite sure what ride she was on, but she desperately wanted to get off.

“No, it is I, Valin.” A voice answered, though it sounded far away and all garbled. Ruby watched in confusion as the elf’s hair changed to a chestnut brown instead of the chocolate brown she wanted to see.

“Vermin?” She asked in confusion. What had he said?

“No, Valin.” Oh, it was Dude.

“What did I say?”

“Vermin.” She definitely heard that.

“Where!? Keep the rats away from me!” She twisted around in his grip and let out a scream of pain. Her stomach felt like someone was stabbing it. _Oh, wait a second_. Someone had stabbed her, at least she _thought_ she remembered that happening. Nothing was particularly clear in her mind at the moment, but Ruby knew two things for sure. She was in a lot of pain and she didn’t like rats—she was pretty sure they were how the plague was spread. “Go, go, go!”

“Please try not to move, Ruby. You will make it worse.” Dude spoke calmly and Ruby felt more at ease.

“Sure thing, Dude.” Ruby mumbled and then moved her tongue around in her mouth—smacking her lips. Her mouth tasted all metallic-y and gross. It was pulling her into a memory of that time when her throat had been sliced open and she had choked on her own blood as she died. Ruby felt her stomach roll and cramp. “Pull over! I’m gonna be sick.” She cried and then proceeded vomit over the side of the…horse? Where did that come from?

“Are you alright?” Concern coloured his voice and Ruby coughed.

“Ugh…do I seem _alright_ to you?” She muttered with a raspy voice. Her throat was burning from the stomach acid that had decided to leave her body.

“You will be fine, Ruby.” He did not seem convinced by what he was saying which wasn’t particularly comforting. Her head began to feel heavy and her eyelids seemed to droop of their own accord.

“Just drive, Dude. Just drive.” Ruby slurred as she felt her head tilt back and her eyes close.

…

Ruby blinked in confusion—the world was moving very chaotically. “Nugnnhh…”

“Ruby?” Something said her name.

“…is that you, God?” She muttered—her mouth moving sluggishly causing her to stumble over the words. Ruby cracked her eyes a little and was met with blurry shapes whipping by in the silvery moonlight. Why were the trees running so fast?

“We are almost there, hold on a little longer.” Her stomach throbbed with every jolt to her body. She desperately wanted to stop and curl up into the fetal position, but her body wasn’t responding. Stupid body.

“You takin’ the wheel, Jesus?”

“You are not making sense, Ruby.” The voice commented worriedly.

“Hmm?” She hummed in confusion. Ruby was in tremendous amounts of pain and she was trying hard to shake off her tiredness, but the harder she tried, the more her head started to hurt. She twisted her head around to peer in the direction of the voice and saw a blurry concerned face looking down at her. It seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t seem to place it with her brain this fuzzy. Ruby squinted trying to get a better look, but it wouldn’t stay still. “Have I fought you before?”

“No, we are friends, Ruby. It is me, Valin.” The face scrunched up in confusion and then tried to smile down at her, but the smile looked wrong—like it was forced. It wasn’t long before questions began to flit through Ruby’s head: Who was this? Where was he taking her? What was going on? A memory made it’s presence known in her mind and Ruby—in her confusion—latched onto it.

“Liar! You’re Mick!” Ruby squirmed in his arms. She had to get away from that maniac, he was going to kill her. “Get away!” She cried out and hot tears fell down her face. She had no idea if she was crying from the pain or fear, but Ruby knew that she didn’t want to go anywhere with that twisted surfer.

“No, Ruby! I am Valin, your friend and I am trying to help you.” He seemed distraught and it made her pause. Ruby considered what he had said. Valin. Did she know a Valin? Ruby quickly forgot about the identity of the person with her when the memory of the end of her life broke through the surface of her mind. Suddenly, she was seeing bits and pieces of it play out around her—a face, a knife, a twisted grin. The fragments blurring as they got mushed together with the scenery that was whipping by and Ruby felt more nauseous.

Cruel laughter began to torment her. Ruby cried and managed to weakly pull her hands to her throat, and she pressed until it began to get harder to breathe. “Just shut up!” She managed to croak tiredly.

“Pardon?”

“Not youuuggnnn…” Ruby felt herself drift away again.

…

“Ruby, are you awake?” She heard a calm voice ask. It was different from the previous voice, more serious.

“Whadda ya want?” She grumbled, her stomach didn’t hurt as much, but Ruby was fucking tired and didn’t want to deal with anybody’s shit at the moment.

“I have dressed your wound and I am going to administer a remedy for the poison.” The voice explained. “I need you to drink.”

All of a sudden, something was pressed against her lips and Ruby opened her eyes slightly and the face in front of her swam but she could see stern grey eyes looking at her—daring her to refuse. Whatever was in the cup smelled like ass and Ruby didn’t want it. “No, I don’t wanna—ugck!” The mean guy tried to poor it down her throat anyways and Ruby choked and spluttered as some of the liquid sneaked past her lips. “Fuck you!”

“Ruby, the poison is spreading, you need to drink the remedy.”

“This is…this is unethmical—unethmi—eth…Fuck you!” Ruby growled and weakly tried to bat the cup away as he approached her again. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!” She cried and turned her head so that he couldn’t force that nasty shit down her throat again. Ruby was fairly certain that she didn’t have a lawyer, but he didn’t need to know that. “What kinda hospital is this?”

“Ruby.” The mean guy said sternly, and Ruby felt too annoyed to be intimidated.

“I wanna sleeeeeeeeeeep.” She complained and moved her head the other way to stop him from putting that cup to her lips again.

“You may sleep after you drink. Time is of the essence, Ruby.” He grumbled, his glare like ice.

“You promise?”

“Yes.” Ruby hesitated before letting him gently lift her head and place the cup back to her lips. She winced as the liquid went down her throat. Ugh, she was not doing that again, ever. Fuck sleep, she would have to live with that aftertaste for years.

“Bleh…you’re mean.” Ruby laid her head back on the pillows behind her and was about to doze off when there was a loud shout.

“ _Where is she?_ Elrond! Is she here?” A musical voice cried out. It would have been nice to listen to if it hadn’t been so fucking loud.

“Shut uuuup!” She groaned. “Sleeeeeeeeep!”

“Ruby!?” The voice was louder this time.

“Ugh.” She opened her eyes so that she could glare at the source of the noise but was quite surprised by the face she saw—her jaw dropping. “You’re beautiful.” Ruby felt her eyes go wide as she took in the magnificent—albeit, slightly blurry—frantic face. The face came closer and Ruby reached out with a shaky hand and touched it and ran her hand through the chocolate-y hair. “Your hair looks delicious…” The pretty man took her hand and held it in his as he knelt next to the cot she was laying on.

“Ruby, Lord Elrond will help you.” He brushed some of the hair off her face. “You will be alright—you _have_ to be alright, Ruby.”

“Are you single?” Ruby questioned as she got lost in his eyes. “I’m asking for a friend.”

“Ruby, please.” He held her face in his hands. “I was a fool and I wasted so much time, I cannot lose you before I even had you.”

“Erestor,” The mean guy interrupted before Ruby could respond. “she is not herself. It will take some time for the poison’s effect to wear off…” There was more talking, but Ruby wasn’t particularly that interested. She was feeling weaker and more tired as time passed and her eyelids were feeling heavy.

…

“I have tried various incantations, but I cannot staunch the bleeding.” Lord Elrond spoke gravely. “Her spirit and body do not respond to my healing. When I try, she feels unfamiliar. She is different from the other Edain I have healed in my time.”

“What does this mean, Elrond?” Erestor asked as fear blossomed in his chest.

“She has ingested an herbal mixture to combat the effects of the poison, but the poison seems to harm her ability to heal—to what extent, I cannot tell.” Lord Elrond explained. “I have done what I can to slow the bleeding, however, there is a great chance that there is a lot of damage internally. I am afraid that she may not have much time left.”

“No.” Erestor shook his head. This could not be it; Lord Elrond was a great healer—perhaps the greatest.

“Once the poison is out of her system, she will be lucid and coherent, but I do not know how much longer she has.” Lord Elrond placed a heavy hand on Erestor’s shoulder, but it did little to comfort him.

“Is there any chance that she will live?” Erestor asked with the last shred of hope in his heart.

“I am sorry, my friend, but I cannot give you hope where there is none.” Lord Elrond’s words extinguished the hope in an instant and Erestor’s chest hurt. Ruby, the woman who had somehow managed to crawl her way into his old, empty heart, was going to die.

Erestor felt tears well up in his eyes and he turned to look at the pale hand that he held in his own. Her skin felt colder than it normally did. He felt Lord Elrond’s hand fall from his shoulder, and Erestor heard him leave the room and softly close the door.

Erestor took in her face. It was pale and covered with a thin sheen of sweat, her eyelids fluttered as if she were dreaming—she did not look like herself. His Ruby was usually grinning mischievously or staring into his mind like she read his thoughts with her ocean eyes. She was strong and lively, not this frail being that lay before him.

He had been such a fool. He was so afraid of what loving her would cost him that he had not bothered to realise that it would have been worth it. It had been far too late to try to ignore how he had felt—Erestor had already loved her. He still loved her. It was _Ruby_ —how could he not? Erestor let his head fall forward until his forehead rested on their clasped hands and the tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes.

“Why did I not see it sooner, Ruby?” He asked desperately. He had let months go by—hurting her—while he tried to forget. Erestor did not want to forget, he wanted the time he had missed back, he wanted _her_.

“Beats me.” Erestor’s head shot back up at the sound of her raspy voice. Her eyes met his and Erestor wanted look into her glimmering eyes forever. “Why the tears, my guy?”

“Ruby…I—” But the words died in his throat. Erestor could not say the dreadful words aloud, he could not tell her of her fate.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Ruby squeezed his hands slightly. “I know.” She gave him a weak smile. “I have died before, you know.”

“Do not say that.” Erestor knew she was trying to cheer him up, but it only made it hurt more.

“Erestor.” She coughed and blood began to steadily flow from her mouth. Erestor wiped it away and felt himself go pale. Not this soon, not already.

“I am so sorry, Ruby, can you ever forgive me for all the time we have lost?” Erestor breathed out in a rush. This was not an ideal apology, but Erestor did not want to make the same mistake as before and miss his chance.

“It’s kind of my fault, too.” She whispered. “I was the one who went and got stabbed.”

“Ruby, do not make excuses for me. I have hurt you and I shall never forgive myself for it.” Erestor gently cradled her head with one of his hands, his thumb gently caressing her cheek.

_Ruby, please do not go._

…

“I’m not making excuses and don’t try to blame yourself for everything, idiot.” She hissed. Ruby was not going to just lay there and let him feel guilty. She had to admit, she wasn’t the ideal person to be in love with—she came with a lot of hang-ups and baggage. It’s not like she could really blame him for being scared or hesitant. Though, he totally could have handled it a lot better, but no one was perfect. Ruby certainly wasn’t. “I’m the one who is dying, I’m the one who is leaving you for—oh…”

“Ruby? What is wrong?” Erestor asked, as it became clear to her why he had been acting like he had been. He was an _elf_ , a being that lived for an incredibly long time based on Celebrìan’s age. She had been asking him to love her without considering what it would mean for him. She would inevitably die and leave him all alone.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t understand.” She felt a tear drip down her cheek.

“Understand what, Ruby?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” She shook her head slightly. Ruby was dying and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could feel it with every breath she took; she could feel it in her soul. The best she could do was try and make him happy for as long as she could—she owed him that much. “I hope you know that when I’m gone, I expect an amazing funeral. I’m talking fireworks and champagne.” Ruby gave him the cheekiest smile she could muster. “I also want long dramatic speeches from all my friends that describe wildly inaccurate details of my life that are _just_ convincing enough that they seem like things that I probably did.”

“Ruby.” He gave her a look that told her that he could see through her façade.

“I know, I know, you probably don’t have champagne, but I’m reasonable, I’ll settle for your best wine.”

“ _Ruby_.”

“Fine! You can choose the beverages if it’s that important to you.”

“I do not care about beverages.” Erestor interjected. “I care about you.”

“I know, but I don’t like to see you cry.” Ruby whispered and coughed again—her chest rattling painfully. She just wanted to reach out and wipe away his tears, but she didn’t have the strength left. “I prefer your sexy scowl.” She winked. It probably would have been more flirtatious if she didn’t sound like she smoked three packs a day.

Ruby was surprised with how comfortable she was with dying. The first time she had been terrified and had felt helpless, but as long as Erestor was next to her and holding her hand, it felt like she could face anything. Sure, she was scared, but her need to cheer him up and make up for the time that they had lost overpowered that fear.

“I do not like to see you cry either.” Erestor sighed as his thumb wiped a stray tear from her cheek. So unfair.

“I could give you a sexy scowl if it would make you feel better.” Erestor shook his head frowned at her antics. Ruby knew she was being a pain in the ass, but his reaction was worth it. “There it is! The scowl I have been waiting for.” Ruby grinned weakly before clearing her throat, trying her best to sound sincere. “Erestor, I…I hope you know that I…all kidding aside, I just wanted to say that…” She hesitated and her chest shuddered as she coughed—her lungs squeezing and her chest feeling tight. The room was fading, and she hadn’t told him she loved him yet! Ruby opened her mouth to speak, only for a sharp gasp to come out.

She felt her remaining strength drain out of her limbs and Erestor faded out of her sight as she drifted into oblivion…again.


	19. Chapter 19

Glorfindel returned to Imladris later than he would have liked to. The sun was already rising as he made his way to Lord Elrond’s study and Glorfindel did not feel as joyous on this morning as he usually felt. He knocked on the door and entered so that he could give Lord Elrond his report.

“Greetings, Glorfindel.” Lord Elrond stated from his spot behind his desk. Glorfindel had known his friend for quite some time, but when Elrond did not want to show his thoughts or emotions, his expression did not betray him. Glorfindel could not read him and that lead him to some upsetting conclusions, but Glorfindel was the head of the guard, he needed to give his Lord his report before he could ask about Ruby’s condition.

“Greetings, milord.” Glorfindel bowed his head slightly—a formality that he did not normally partake in. “As you know, there was a fairly large orc attack on the Northern border early this morning.” Lord Elrond nodded and Glorfindel continued. “Before the larger attack, the guard killed a party of seventeen that were headed towards the border. The carcasses were placed in a clearing to be burned and I sent five elves to send word to Imladris, the other guard rotations, and to bring reinforcements in case there were more orcs. A little while later, a party of fifty-two was heard approaching and the we waited for the reinforcements to arrive. The orcs were dealt with swiftly.”

“Do you believe this attack to be planned?”

“There was a leader and it was clear that they were heading for Imladris.” Glorfindel placed the crude orc-sword that he had taken from the dead orc-leader after the battle onto Lord Elrond’s desk. “I believe the orcs came from the Misty Mountains.”

“Was there any indication that this would happen again?” Lord Elrond spoke as he examined the sword.

“They were not well-organised, but there were likely enough of them for the orcs to feel like they could attempt a raid. I do not think there will be another attack for a long while—not until their numbers increase again.” Every so often, the orc population would increase and there would be some attacks on the border. Rarely, would such a large group work together in such a way.

“I believe you are correct. However, I would like to increase the number of guards for the next few rotations as a precaution.” Lord Elrond stated.

“I shall make the arrangements.” Glorfindel nodded but hesitated before attempting to leave.

“Is there anything else, Glorfindel?”

“There were only a few minor injuries, except for…except…” Oh, Glorfindel could not take it anymore. “How is she, Elrond?”

“She was completely unconscious when she arrived and her body rejected my healing, so I had to revert to more mannish techniques. Once I tended to the wound, she began to regain consciousness and I gave her an herbal remedy for the poison.” Elrond paused for a moment and Glorfindel noticed that a tiny shred of sadness broke through his emotionless demeanor. “I am afraid that she will not make it.”

“No…but what about Erestor?” Glorfindel knew his friend was attached to Ruby and if she was going to die…Erestor would surely fade.

“He is with her.” Glorfindel knew that Erestor loved her and was afraid to admit it to himself, but this was a terrible way for the elf to realise how foolish he was being.

“I wish to see her.” Glorfindel stated with determination. “She is my friend and Erestor should not have to go through this alone.”

“Very well.” Lord Elrond stood and swiftly lead Glorfindel in the direction of the healing halls.

…

_No, no, no._ She could not be gone. Erestor clutched her limp hand and pressed it to his chest. This could not be the end already; they had barely had the chance to talk! There was so much he had left to say. The tears flowed in a continuous stream down his face and Erestor sat himself near the head of the bed and cradled her cold body—hugging her to him as if he could keep her there if he held her closer, but she was already gone.

Erestor’s ears caught a small muffled noise that sounded like crumpling paper. He shifted to locate the source of the noise and he found a small folded piece of paper in her left breast-pocket. Erestor gently pried it open only to find a charcoal image of himself staring back at him. Had Ruby drawn this? It was a good rendition of him, she had really captured the curve of his frown well. The image was not perfect and had some smudges, but Erestor loved it.

Erestor carefully set the drawing aside once his tears began to land onto the paper—he did not want to ruin the little piece of her he had left. He leaned his head on top of hers—pressing his forehead to her temple. This was his fault; he was the cause of all this pain and sadness. He was to blame for the aching in his chest.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but Erestor heard a light knock at the door and looked up. His teary eyes met the eyes of Lord Elrond and Erestor turned his gaze back to the woman in his arms. He would not leave her.

“Erestor.” He heard Lord Elrond speak.

“I request to—I…” Erestor sniffled and choked on the words. “I wish to take a leave of absence.”

“You need not request, my friend.” Elrond approached him and placed his hand on Erestor’s shoulder. “Take all the time you need.”

“I do not have the words to express what I am feeling.” Glorfindel stated sadly and Erestor looked up to see him staring at Ruby with a look of remorse. “She was bold and uncontrollable—so very different from many of the Edain that I have met. I shall miss her, but I am glad to be able to call her my friend.”

“Ruby was unique.” Elrond agreed with a nod. “I never understood why she would laugh every time I said the word ‘chicken.’”

“I never understood why she insisted we tap our knuckles against hers.” Glorfindel added with a small smile. “She always found that amusing as well.”

“She would call me ‘my guy’ sometimes.” Erestor looked up and found himself smiling at the memories of her. “It annoyed me at first, but…I would give anything to hear it one more time…” He trailed off, the tears falling again.

“Did she draw this?” Elrond asked and gestured to the paper Erestor had set aside that depicted his scowling face.

“That is quite good.” Glorfindel commented as he leaned closer to get a look. “I did not know she could draw.”

“Neither did I…” He really appreciated his friends being there, but Erestor could not bring himself to listen to all the things he would never know and never have again—it hurt too much. “I wish to be alone.” Erestor lied. He really wanted to be with her, but that was not an option. Elrond and Glorfindel seemed to understand and they both left quietly. Erestor knelt beside her cot and gripped her hand. He was not going to let her go.

…

Ruby was in a really fancy room. It had tall arching doorways and large tapestries adorning the walls, but no windows for some reason or other. There were also a bunch of people standing along the edge of the room—rows upon rows of them. They were all motionless and staring glassy-eyed at nothing in particular. Ruby shivered in discomfort and didn’t try to approach anyone—she had seen enough Indiana Jones movies to know to not mess with things when you don’t know the possible consequence. Ruby settled for standing in the center of the large room and glancing around, trying to figure out where she was, but she didn’t think she had ever been here before.

“You are not an elf.” A deep voice boomed from the front of the spacious room. Apparently, a very large, hooded man had been sitting in a large chair the whole time watching her. Creepy. Ruby couldn’t really blame herself for not noticing him at first because the robe he was wearing blended in with the colour of the walls.

“…Sorry?” She apologised in confusion. So what if she wasn’t an elf?

“The purpose of this hall is for the elves to reflect on their past deeds after they are slain, there is a different hall for men to await their departure.” The deep voice stated somewhat accusingly. Ruby eyed the many beings that lined the edges of the room—that information did not make the blank stares any less unsettling. Maybe she could pretend they were all sleeping.

“Well, if you point me in the right direction, I’m sure I’ll stumble upon it eventually.” Ruby frowned. Was she going to keep ending up in freaky places after she died because maybe she should stop dying so often then.

“No, there is something amiss about you.” The large guy sounded like he was frowning, but he was too far away for Ruby to really see if he was or not. “I shall find answers before deciding your fate.”

“Right.” Ruby shrugged. She was dead again so what did she care? The creepy guy could do whatever he wanted.

The room became completely silent for awhile and Ruby’s thoughts began turn to her last moments. She had so much she had left to say to him. Why had she hesitated? Why hadn’t she told him she loved him? Man, the universe was cruel.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the hooded entity who seemed to be fiddling with something and grumbling in irritation. He eventually began to speak into it, but Ruby couldn’t make out his words. She began to creep closer, who was he talking to?

There was a bright flash of light and suddenly, a reasonably sized guy appeared and so did the office desk he was sitting at. He was holding a phone to his ear and messing with a pen in his hand. Ruby didn’t know whether to be more surprised by his sudden appearance or by the sight of a phone.

“Sorry, Zerachiel. I’m going to have to put you on hold.” He squeaked nervously and put the phone down, turning to the creepy guy. “Mandos! It’s been too long. Why did you demand the sudden visit?”

“Jeremiel.” Mandos boomed and Jeremiel fiddled with the pen in his hand. “Could you explain to me why there is a woman in the hall for elves?”

“I don’t see why I would know anything about that.” Jeremiel cleared his throat nervously.

“You are claiming that she is not one of yours?”

“Why is it that you always go to me when something’s wrong? She could be from Lower-Earth!”

“I have never had a problem with Lower-Earth, however, there have been at least forty-three thousand faults from Upper-Earth that I am aware of. I believe it is a reasonable conclusion to assume that she is number forty-three thousand and one.”

“I have told you time and time again! It’s just ‘Earth’ not ‘Upper-Earth.’”

“Regardless, is she one of yours or not?”

“I think I could help you with that.” Ruby interjected, not that she wasn’t having a great time watching the deities arguing like children, but there was a chance that she might get some answers. Ruby liked answers.

“Very well.”

“Cool, so I’m from Earth.” Ruby ignored the groan from Jeremiel. “I had my throat cut open by an idiot drug dealer—not one of my greatest moments—and then I woke up buried in a shitty coffin here. Does that help?”

“Yes.” Mandos sounded like he was frowning again. “What did you do this time, Jeremiel?”

“Well, there was this young boy…” Jeremiel seemed to shrink in his desk chair. “He was…I just wanted to…I told him he was going to be reincarnated and he asked me to give his fate to the kind lady who told him to follow his dreams…”

“Joe! But he didn’t die…Oh.” Ruby remembered the cracking sound she had heard when Mick had pistol-whipped him across the face. “Poor, Joe.”

“See! He was so sweet I couldn’t turn him down!”

“Jeremiel.” Mandos sighed.

“Right. So when she died so soon after, I had barely enough time to look through her file! I know that I should never rush things, but I may have waited until the state buried her unclaimed body, healed it, then prematurely sent her over here…without proper reincarnation…”

“Jeremiel!” Mandos boomed sternly like he was about to give the other celestial being a lecture, but Ruby interrupted by walking up to Jeremiel and yanking him out of his desk chair by his white button-up shirt.

“It was _your_ fault I woke up buried in that coffin!” She snarled in his face. “I’m extremely claustrophobic now and I had nightmares about it for _months_ , you prick!” Jeremiel spluttered and straightened his glasses. Did deities even need glasses?

“I was just—I did it for Joe!”

“I’m still mad, asshole!”

“Enough!” Mandos shouted and Ruby tossed Jeremiel back into his chair. If she hadn’t been so pissed, she might have found it funny that the chair rolled a good ten meters backwards and Jeremiel had to scoot it back. “What do you propose we do, Jeremiel?”

“Well, seeing as were in the hall of elves, she was probably supposed to be reincarnated as an elf. I think we should go through with the reincarnation…properly this time. Just please don’t tell my boss! I’m already on probation.”

“You’re going to turn me into an elf?” Ruby deadpanned. “ _That’s_ how you’re going to fix this?”

“You wouldn’t be ‘turned’ into an elf, it’s more like you would be _reborn_ as an elf.”

“That’s worse!”

“Wh—what do you mean?” Jeremiel spluttered.

“I don’t want to start from square one! Erestor…” Ruby trailed off. She just wanted to be with Erestor.

“Yes, the elf you’re in love with.” Mandos sighed. How the hell did he know that? She hadn’t even said that out loud yet. “I can see into you heart, child. However, it was a love that was never meant to be.”

“Forbidden love!” Jeremiel smiled dreamily. “Mandos! You _have_ to send her back!”

“Jeremiel!” Mandos boomed sternly and Jeremiel deflated.

“You can send me back!?” Ruby felt hope rise in her chest. If there was even the slightest possibility that Ruby could get back to Erestor, she was going to fight for it.

“It is within my power, but I do not think it would be wise.” Mandos sounded like he was frowning again. “However, if Erestor returned your affections, he will fade.”

“Fade?”

“Yes, he will die of a broken heart.”

“No!” Ruby did _not_ like the sound of that and suddenly, getting back to Erestor became extremely dire. “Jeremiel! You sent me there once, do it again! You owe me one, man!”

“I can’t.” Jeremiel winced.

“ _What!?_ ”

“I could’ve if you died on Earth, but when you die in Middle-Earth, your fate belongs to tall, dark, and broody over there.” Jeremiel glared up at Mandos. “C’mon, Mandos! Do it for love!” Honestly, Ruby didn’t think that having Jeremiel on her side was really helping to persuade Mandos. Not in the slightest.

“You have done enough, Jeremiel. It is your fault we are in this mess to begin with.”

“Fine, I should probably finish my talk with Zerachiel, anyways.” Jeremiel began to pick up his phone again when he was startled by Ruby.

“Wait!” She ran over to him. “Is Joe okay?”

“Yes, he ended up going to turtle heaven for the rest of eternity.” Jeremiel grinned at her.

“He would’ve liked that.” Ruby smiled and pulled him out of his chair and gave him a hug. “Thank you for this.” As much as she wanted to completely hate him for fucking up so tremendously, she wouldn’t have fallen in love with Erestor if he hadn’t.

“Y—you’re welcome?” Jeremiel was stiff like he wasn’t sure what to do. Ruby guessed that he had probably never been hugged before.

“Just out of curiosity, what would Joe have been reincarnated as?” She asked as the hug ended.

“He was supposed to be reincarnated as a hobbit.”

“A _what?_ You know what, nevermind.” Ruby shook her head. “But before you go, I have some advice. Put the work in and try not to fuck up.” Then she straight up decked him in the face. Jeremiel let out a cry of surprise as he landed in his roll-y chair and promptly disappeared. Hopefully, that would teach him a lesson about leaving people buried in coffins. The prick.

“I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed that.” Ruby grinned and flexed her fingers. She could have sworn she heard a chuckle from Mandos.

“I am glad that someone has finally done it.”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t. I mean, messing up forty-three _thousand_ times? I knew my Earth was a mess, but what the fuck!?” She was sure she heard him laugh this time. It was a deep sound that kind of rumbled like thunder.

“I have had some time to think about it and I suppose that sending you back would be for the best. It would not be good for Erestor to pass before his time.” Wow, that was a lot easier than expected—she didn’t even need to beg.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ruby smiled and twirled happily.

“However…” _Fuck_. “In order for Erestor to continue to live like before this incident, you shall be made immortal, which means your spirit will be moulded into an elvish fёa.”

“Oh.” She had not been expecting that, nor did she know what ‘fёa’ meant.

“Do try your best to not die anymore because this is the only time I shall be this lenient.”

“You got it!” Ruby didn’t want to die again anyway. Twice was _more_ than fucking enough.

“Just because you hit Jeremiel and hopefully knocked some sense into him, I’ll throw in a little gift.” Ruby could practically hear him smirking at her.

“What—?” Ruby never got to finish because the floor caved in beneath her and she was falling through endless blackness. “ _FUUUUUUUUUCK!_ ”

Why did deities feel the need to traumatize her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my solution is a bit unorthodox, but I felt that there needed to be some fun in this chapter because the last bit had been kind of sad. I also realise that this is a bit of a different take on the Tolkien afterlife.


	20. Chapter 20

“ _FUUUUUUUUUCK!_ ” Ruby shouted as she shot into a seated position on the healing cot she had been laying on, startling the crying elf that had been holding her hand. “Erestor?” Ruby raised an eyebrow in concern as she took in his disheveled appearance. “You look like crap.”

“R—Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

Suddenly, Erestor was kneeling next to the bed squeezing the life out of her as if he were afraid she would disappear. One of his hands was tangled in her hair and his other arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his—Erestor’s face buried in her neck. Ruby was in heaven.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this—I totally am, probably more than I should be—but, are you okay?” Ruby whispered quietly. Erestor slowly moved so that his forehead rested gently against hers.

“I lost you.” He answered softly gazing directly into her eyes.

“You could never lose me.” Ruby smiled. “I love you too much to stay away, Erestor.” The words flowing out of her without hesitation this time.

“I love you as well, Ruby.” Erestor smiled as he admitted to his feelings and then he gently pressed his lips to hers and kissed her sweetly. He slowly pulled away and chuckled at Ruby’s startled expression. That was the last thing she had expected him to do, elves had proved to be fairly prudish. Ruby quickly got over the shock of the kiss and promptly attacked his face—showering every inch of his face with kisses.

“ _Ew!_ ” A pair of voices were heard from the doorway.

“And just what do you think you two are doing here?” Erestor said sternly as he pulled himself away from Ruby, but kept her hand grasped in his own tightly.

“Nothing!” They both exclaimed a little too quickly.

“Elladan.” Erestor scowled only to be met with silence. “Elrohir.”

“Fine! We saw everyone acting strangely, then we overheard Ada talking to Glorfindel about you and we wanted to investigate.” Elrohir grumbled and shuffled his feet. “I am regretting that choice now.” He made a grossed-out face, causing Ruby to laugh.

“You better leave now because I think there is going to be more kissing.” Ruby smirked and met Erestor’s gaze. They both chuckled when they heard the sound of little feet scurrying away in a hurry.

“What happened, Ruby?” Erestor sighed.

“I was being heroic, then everything was kind of a dumpster fire.” Ruby shrugged. “The strangest thing happened afterwards though.”

“What do you mean?” Erestor asked warily.

“I may have punched a celestial being in the face.”

“ _What!?_ ”

“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t one of yours.”

“I do not think I want to know.” Erestor shook his head in exasperation.

“Probably not.”

…

As it turned out, Ruby had miraculously healed. They had been talking for awhile when Erestor’s eyes became comedically wide when he remembered that she had been injured. Ruby, herself, had forgotten all about it as well because there hadn’t been any pain to remind her and she had been so caught up in their conversation.

There had also been another startling discovery when Erestor had tucked some of stray hairs behind her now-slightly-pointed ear. They weren’t as point-y as Erestor’s, but still had a noticeable point on the shell of her ear. Apparently, elf ears were an appropriate gift with her new immortality. The immortality that she had forgotten to mention to Erestor. Oops.

“I—” Ruby was cut off by a sad-looking Glorfindel.

“I am sorry, my friend. The twins…Erestor?” He paused to look at the other elf quizzically. “Why are you grinning?”

“I know what you mean, it’s so weird to see him not scowling.” Ruby said as she leaned out from behind Erestor’s body that was blocking her from his view.

“Ruby!?” Glorfindel shouted in surprise. “But you…you are alive?”

“Last time I checked.” She nodded. “Don’t sound so surprised, it would take more than a little stab wound to keep me dead.”

“I shall go inform Lord Elrond. I suspect he will wish to speak with you.” Glorfindel smiled. “I am glad you are alright, Ruby. It would not be the same without you.” Then he left—the skip returning to his step.

“As much as I’d like to stay here with you, I am starving.” Ruby complained. “I also want a bath.” She was fairly sure that there was still orc blood in her hair. Ruby went to stand up and leave the room, but Erestor kept a firm grasp on her hand—pulling her back to his side. “Umm…I kind of need my hand to go do that. You’re welcome to join me if that’s what you want.” Erestor’s cheeks turned slightly pink as Ruby smirked at him.

“I—I just do not want to let you go.” He admitted and Ruby felt her heart melt into a giant puddle.

“I’m not going anywhere that I won’t come back from, my guy.” She patted the top of his hand softly with her free one. Erestor reluctantly let go of her hand and followed her as she exited the room. “I’ll meet up with you in the dining hall.”

He eventually went in the direction of his room after a little more persuasion from Ruby. It was kind of strange to see him act so clingy, but she definitely preferred it over him being distant. Hell, as long as he wasn’t ignoring her, Ruby would be happy to spend time with him no matter what mood he was in.

Ruby entered her room half-expecting to find Edegil in there, but there was no sign of the she-elf anywhere. She shrugged it off—Edegil was busy and probably had other things to attend to. Ruby was most likely supposed to be in the healing halls still anyways—she _had_ been stabbed after all—so Edegil wouldn’t know that she was out and about already.

Ruby filled her tub with some nice steamy water and peeled her nasty clothes off. She honestly didn’t know how Erestor could stand to be so close to her; she reeked. After dumping all of her clothes into a pile, Ruby inspected her newest scar that ran horizontally across the flesh of her stomach just below her ribcage. It was pink and angry—like the one that ran across her throat had been when she had first arrived. It was slowly starting to fade as time passed and Ruby didn’t doubt that this new scar would do the same.

Ruby sighed and slowly lowered herself into the hot water. She let out a loud moan as the heat seeped into her sore muscles; she had really needed this. Ruby took her time, scrubbing her hair and skin so that there were no traces of dirt or sweat. This was a luxury that she hadn’t had for the past week and she’d be damned if she didn’t take advantage of it.

Once the water lost most of its warmth, Ruby got out and dried herself off. She was in a bit of a giddy mood now that she was clean and, you know, the elf she was in love with returned her feelings and they had kissed. Ruby kept replaying the moment when their lips first touched in her head—her fingers grazing her grinning lips absentmindedly. She then found herself twirling around her room in her towel as she made her way to her closet so she could get dressed.

She tossed on a random shirt and some pants before she was interrupted by a knock on her door. Ruby felt herself involuntarily grin and she shook her head. Erestor probably got impatient and came looking for her. Ruby opened the door and found a smiling Glorfindel on the other side. “Hey, what’s up?” She asked with a bit of confusion.

“I am supposed to accompany you to Lord Elrond’s study.” He offered her an arm and Ruby groaned internally. She was fucking starving and wasn’t particularly in the mood for a long, in-depth analysis of what had happened.

“Let’s get going.” She sighed and grabbed the offered arm. “Will this take long? I was supposed to meet Erestor in the dining hall.” She asked as they began to head in the direction of Elrond’s study.

“Erestor shall be present during the meeting.” Glorfindel explained but left the question about the length of the meeting unanswered. “Are you alright, Ruby? What you went through could not have been easy.” He looked down at her with his eyebrows pinched in concern.

“I’m surprisingly okay.” Ruby replied with a smile. She was still on a bit of a high from the kiss and it had happened like an hour ago. Ruby knew that she should be a bit more freaked out after dying again, but it had been different this time. She knew where she was, she had her friends, she had an elf she could kiss—everything was alright. “Even if I’m not entirely fine, I think I will be.”

“This news greatly eases my heart.” Glorfindel grinned. He was still as vibrant and cheerful as ever and it Ruby felt herself grin back.

They entered the study and Ruby felt like Elrond’s gaze was staring into her soul. Apparently, in the short time she was dead, he hadn’t lost any of his intensity. “Sup.” Ruby greeted somewhat awkwardly. The room was slightly tense, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She found Erestor’s eyes and immediately felt better when she saw the warmth in them.

“I wish to ask you some questions.” Elrond stated. “Would you be comfortable with this?” He asked and Erestor looked ready to interject, but Ruby answered before he got the chance.

“Yeah.” She may as well get this over with now. “Ask away.” Elrond raised an eyebrow at her aloofness but obliged.

“Could you recount your experience of what occurred this morning?”

“Yes, but bear with me, this is going to sound pretty wack.” Ruby felt the need for a disclaimer because what she was about to say was fucking insane—she wouldn’t believe it herself if it hadn’t happened to her.

“Please.” Elrond gestured for her to continue.

“So, I was taking my watch with Dude and we were having a nice chat about…stuff.” Ruby felt her cheeks turn a bit pink and she tried to look anywhere but at Erestor. He did not need to know she was asking Dude about the emotional incompetence of elves. “Anyways, he heard something and told me to go wake Glorfindel, which I did. Then I woke up the rest of the elves and the archers took care of the group of orcs.” Ruby shrugged and skipped over some of them unimportant bits—she wanted food and the faster they were done, the faster she could eat. “I moved some carcasses, blah, blah, blah, stood around for a bit, blah, blah, blah. Then, the larger group was heard approaching and Glorfindel was being a bit of a pussy and said that we were going to wait for reinforcements.” Ruby turned to the golden elf with a bit of a reluctant sigh. “I see now that that was probably for the best…so I’m sorry for being a bit of a bitch.”

“There is no need to apologise, Ruby.” Glorfindel shook his head and gave her a small smile.

“Yeah, there is, but you’re just nice.” She gave him an I-dare-you-to-tell-me-I’m-wrong look before she continued. “So, reinforcements came, we fought, I got stabbed. The next bit is not particularly clear…I think there was something about rats maybe? You’d have to ask Dude.”

“Who is this ‘Dude’ you keep referring to?” Erestor asked.

“That’s Valin’s nickname.” Ruby explained. “It’s not the best, but he kind of picked it, so…” She shrugged. “The next thing that I remember clearly is talking to Erestor…” She trailed off, not really wanting to describe the details of their conversation. That was _their_ moment and Ruby wasn’t about to share it. “Then I kind of died…I guess…” She finished—glossing over her talk with Erestor.

“Do you remember what happened after your death?” Elrond asked gently, but it was a bit weird because he did it without losing any of the intensity in his gaze.

“Yeah, I was in this huge room that had all these people standing around in it.” Ruby frowned as all the elves in the room seemed to tense and lean towards her a bit. They were all paying very close attention to her words. “There was this giant hooded guy that was just kind of chilling…I think Jeremiel called him ‘Mangos’ or something like that.” Ruby shrugged.

“ _Mandos?!_ ” The elves chorused simultaneously with varying emotions. Ruby picked up on a bit of confusion, disbelief, and maybe even a little awe.

“That’s the one!” She snapped her fingers. “He was a bit creepy in my opinion—didn’t really appreciate me showing up where I wasn’t supposed to be. Anyways, he called another guy who turned out to be Jeremiel from Earth—where I’m originally from. They argued about why I was there for a bit and it turns out that after I died—the first time—Jeremiel sent me over here in Joe’s place without going through the proper channels, I guess.”

“Ruby, you must slow down.” Elrond cut in. “You are not making much sense.”

“Oh, sorry.” She had kind of been breezing through the entire thing. “Basically, Joe was supposed to be reincarnated after he died, but he asked Jeremiel to give his fate to me instead. Jeremiel then sent me over here without reincarnating me properly after I died—which was why I was in the wooden box when I got here. Then Mandos got a bit peeved about Jeremiel not doing his job correctly—rightly so, since apparently mistakes from Earth are common—and to fix this, they were going to go through with the reincarnation, but I didn’t want that…” Ruby involuntarily looked at Erestor. “…well, eventually Mandos decided that it would be best to send me back and I punched Jeremiel in the face.” She ended with a shrug. Ruby could see how what she was saying could be confusing, but the elves seemed to understand.

“That is all?” Glorfindel shook his head with a chuckle. “Only you, Ruby, would brush that off like it was nothing.”

“Oh! I’m also supposedly immortal now and Mandos gave me some pointy ears to match.” Ruby tucked the strands of her wet hair that had been hanging by her face behind her ears and turned her head to show the elves.

“Immortal?” Erestor asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah! He moulded my spirit into and elvish ‘fёa’ apparently. Whatever that is.”

“Would it be alright if I looked at your wound?” Elrond asked and stood up from his desk.

“Sure.” Ruby tugged up her shirt without hesitation, the scar and her abs on display and both Erestor and Glorfindel looked away with their cheeks turning pink. Thankfully, Elrond didn’t seem to care and walked to her side so that he could examine it.

He placed his hand over the scar and muttered something in elvish that Ruby couldn’t understand. Was she hallucinating or were his hand glowing slightly? “I appears that your wound has been healed and your spirit feels only partially foreign. It would seem you were correct about having an elvish fёa, even if it is not completely the same as ours. You have your original spirit; however, it has been altered.” He explained. “You have your original body; the ears do not seem to be different except for their appearance.”

“You can tell all that from what you just did?” Ruby asked confused.

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Ruby didn’t really know what to make of that. “So, do you guys have any questions?”

“Yes.” Erestor stated and Glorfindel nodded his head almost frantically. “What do you mean when you say you are from ‘Earth?’”

“So we’re in Middle-Earth right now, but I was born and raised in a place called Earth…well, Mandos called it Upper-Earth.” Ruby shrugged. She really didn’t know all the details, but this was probably the correct time to bring up the lack of the existence of elves. “On Earth, there are no elves or orcs, just humans and like, animals I guess.”

“You are saying that you are not from Middle-Earth?” Glorfindel asked in confusion.

“Yup.”

“That would explain why she felt unfamiliar to me.” Elrond contemplated. “Do you plan on returning to this ‘Earth?’”

“No, even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could.” Ruby shook her head. Rivendell was her home now and she didn’t want to leave Erestor anytime soon.

“Could you elaborate on why Mandos decided to send you back?” Erestor asked.

“Umm…no?”

“Ruby, you can tell us anything.” Erestor moved forward and grabbed her hands in his. Ruby found herself caught in his gaze and promptly caved.

“He said that he could see into my heart and that if you returned my feelings, you would die of a broken heart.” Ruby felt tears gather in her eyes at the thought of Erestor dying and he gripped her hands tighter. “Since I was an accident, he figured that it wouldn’t be good for you to die before your time, so he made me immortal and sent me back.”

“Oh.” For once in his life, Erestor didn’t seem to know what to say.

“I mean, I’m not going to complain. An eternity of pranking with the twins and wreaking havoc, yes please.” Ruby rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed a little bit when Glorfindel groaned. “Don’t worry, it also means I have time to get you wine-drunk, Glorfindel.”

“No!” Glorfindel objected. “Do you know what I had to promise Elrond to get him to stay quiet? There is a reason I now eat vegetables at meals, Ruby.”

“Pfft! Of all the things you could get him to do, you go with vegetables?” Ruby looked at Elrond in disbelief. “Everyone knows you always go for making him wear an outfit of your choice.”

“I am afraid I do not understand what you mean.” Elrond looked at her in confusion.

“Don’t you think Glorfy would look nice in a dress?” Ruby grinned evilly at the golden-haired elf who looked positively scandalized. “A pretty one with lots of frills.”

“Absolutely not!” He objected before turning to Elrond. “You would not be so cruel to me, my friend.”

“C’mon Glorfindel, the twins had to get their antics from someone.” Ruby smirked.

“I believe that Celebrìan is the one they get their devious behaviour from.” Elrond stated calmly and Glorfindel let out a relieved sigh. “However, I do believe that we have strayed from our original purpose.” Ruby’s stomach felt the need to interrupt at that moment, much to her embarrassment.

“Heh, sorry about that.” She smiled sheepishly. “I am starving.”

“Perhaps we should finish this meeting another time.” Elrond stated. “I do believe that Glorfindel needs to eat some carrots this morning.” He winked at Ruby and a small giggle slipped past her lips.


	21. Chapter 21

“Before I go, how many people actually know that I died?” Ruby asked as she began to make her way to the door. “I don’t want to be spreading mass panic if everyone thinks I’m dead.” Did elves even know what a zombie was? Eh, someone who was raised from the dead would probably be concerning anyways.

“To my knowledge, only the people in this room and Celebrìan know.” Elrond supplied.

“Good, I think it would be best if we kept this quiet.” Ruby didn’t need everyone looking at her like she was fragile and couldn’t hold her own. “I’m going to head out then, later guys.” She waved and exited the room—not even waiting for their replies. Ruby was absolutely ravenous and needed to eat, so she made a beeline for the dining hall.

By the time she arrived, there were only a couple elves present, but Celebrìan and the twins were not among them. She had managed to beat them all here which was strange. Normally, they were early whenever they showed up somewhere, but she usually skipped breakfast so maybe that wasn’t the case in the mornings.

Ruby sat in her usual spot and played with her fingers as she waited. She assumed food would be served shortly as more people began to fill the spots at the tables, but the chairs around her remained empty. They couldn’t possibly be talking about her in Elrond’s office still, right?

Just as the food was beginning to be brought out, the elves in question filed in with Celebrìan and the twins in tow. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she glanced at all of them. “Did you all get lost or something?”

“No.” Erestor stated and rested a hand on top of her twitching fingers. Ruby felt more relaxed and let out a sigh. It was quite possible that her hunger was making her irritable and impatient, but Ruby was going to fix that.

As soon as the food hit the table, Ruby snatched some and piled it onto her plate—shoving a whole roll into her mouth as she did so. Man, the food was always fucking delicious. If she ever stopped working out all the time, she would get fat for sure. Ruby shoveled food into her face rapidly, stopping to drink water every once in a while until the mountain of food disappeared from her plate. She was sure the twins were staring at her, and Ruby flashed them a grin—her cheeks a puffed out from the food she was chewing—and continued to eat until she was satisfied.

She leaned back and rested a hand on her full stomach. Ruby knew that she had probably eaten way too much food, but she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment. It was only now that she realized that there was silence from all the elves around her. Usually, there was idle chatter that flowed easily, but today they were all quiet, even the twins which was weird.

“So, how about the weather, huh?” She broke the silence. “It’s been pretty sunny lately.”

“Yes.” Glorfindel nodded in agreement. There was a strange moment where he turned to look at Erestor and something seemed to pass between them. It looked like Glorfindel was silently asking something and Erestor responded with a glare. Seconds later, Glorfindel turned back to Ruby—his expression looking defiant as he asked her a question. “Do you still wish to be a guard, Ruby?”

“What? Of course!” She sat up a little straighter. “Why would you think that I wouldn’t?”

“Well, Erestor seemed to think…” Glorfindel trailed off and Ruby filled in the blanks.

“You think I would just want to quit after that…temporary setback!?” She hissed as she glared at Erestor.

“I did not want him to ask you right away.” Erestor explained and glared at the golden elf accusingly. “You should take some time to rest after the experience that you have had.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do and you don’t get to decide things for me!” Ruby exclaimed and crossed her arms. Her anger didn’t last very long though, Ruby knew that his words were smart and reasonable, just like the handsome elf they came from. “But I suppose that taking a bit of a break wouldn’t hurt.” She grumbled and glared at the slightly smug elf that sat across from her. Ugh, why did he have to be so damn logical all the time?

“Did you like your first guard rotation despite everything that happened, Ruby?” Celebrìan asked politely and Ruby found herself smiling at the silver-haired elf.

“Yeah, it was great, but sleeping was a bit difficult.” Ruby responded after she contemplated everything that had happened on her patrol. She had really enjoyed her time with Dude and Minnie, but the rest had been a bit boring apart from the fight.

“You did not like it because you had to sleep on the ground?”

“No, sleeping on the ground was fine, I just don’t like sleeping with clothes on.” Ruby shrugged. “Glorfindel knows.”

“How would Glorfindel know?” Elrond asked giving Glorfindel a look and the golden elf blushed. Glorfindel munched on a carrot—the crunching filling the silence that had, once again, fallen over the table. _Oh._ Ruby felt and evil grin slide onto her face. She had forgotten to tease him about seeing her boobs and that needed to be rectified.

“It was nothing really…he just, you know, woke me up one morning and had a fun surprise.” Ruby smirked. “I don’t know why he was so worked up about it, I like to think my breasts are quite nice looking even if they are small.”

“He saw your _what?_ ” Erestor spluttered and Ruby felt herself smirk at the normally grumpy and composed elf.

“Breasts.” Ruby restated calmly. Man, who knew elves could be so touchy? “I found the whole situation quite entertaining actually. He couldn’t look me in the eye for like a day afterwards.”

“Ruby!” Glorfindel complained—his face almost as red as those little apples he liked so much.

“What? I’m not allowed to have a little fun at your expense?” She grinned innocently. “It’s only fair, you did see my breasts after all.”

“Can people stop saying breasts while we are at the table?” Erestor ground out—his jaw tense. It was at this point that Celebrìan chuckled and Ruby couldn’t help but join in.

“Fine, but don’t think I’m done with you yet, Glorfindel.” Ruby stated and Glorfindel let out a groan.

The conversation seemed to flow more easily after that—even if Glorfindel couldn’t meet Ruby’s or Erestor’s eyes. Ruby felt herself drifting out of the conversation and her mind traveled back to the events that happened early in the rotation. She would have to find Edegil and see if Dude had said anything to her like he said he would. If not, Ruby would have to give him a stern talking-to; she wasn’t about to let him pussy-out and ruin his and Edegil’s happiness. Hell, no.

Suddenly, Ruby remembered a detail that she was supposed to be mad about. “Oh! You know what!? Who do I have to yell at for forgetting to mention that elves sleep with their eyes open?” Ruby glared at the elves around her. “C’mon, own up.” Silence filled the table and they all looked back and forth at each other in confusion.

“What do you mean, Ruby.”

“I mean that it is more than a little unsettling to see a bunch of people laying around like they’re dead in the middle of the night, so thanks for that. I’ll probably have nightmares about it—disturbing fuckers looking at me like some kind of creepy-ass doll.” She grumbled. “Are there any other elf-secrets that I should know about? Do you guys turn into gremlins if you’re fed after midnight?”

There was a moment of silence and surprisingly it was Elrond that started to laugh first—the rest of the elves joining in shortly after.

…

Ruby had gone back to her room after breakfast, all the food she had eaten was making her sleepy, so she decided that she was going to have a nice, long nap. She managed to get a few hours of delicious sleep before she got too restless and had to get up. She was about to go find the twins to see what they were up to, when she ran into Edegil on her way out the door.

“Hey, Edegil! I haven’t seen you in far too long.” Ruby grinned and the she-elf returned it.

“I am pleased to see you as well, Ruby.” Edegil greeted before frowning slightly. “I heard that you were injured, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m peachy.” Ruby made sure to smile innocently before bringing Dude up. “So, did Valin tell you that I had been injured?”

“No.” Edegil responded and blushed—looking down at her hands. Ruby frowned at this information.

“He didn’t talk to you at all?”

“No, why would he do…” Edegil trailed off before looking at Ruby accusingly. “Did you say something to him, Ruby?”

“He carried me all the way back here after I got injured, you know.” Ruby ignored her question. “He is a very valiant elf, Edegil.” Ruby winked, but Edegil didn’t seem to fall for this little diversion.

“What did you tell him?”

“Nothing! I swear, Edegil. I would never break the sacred bond of trust between us.” Ruby defended. “On a totally unrelated note, would you happen to know where I could find him? I have to ask him something important.”

“I…I am unsure.” Edegil stated in a way that was not at all convincing.

“Really?” Ruby deadpanned.

“He is training.” Edegil sighed in defeat and Ruby grinned and rushed off.

“Thanks, Edegil!” She called over her shoulder as she headed in the direction of the training grounds. There was an elf that she needed to have words with.

…

Ruby stood a little ways away as she watched Dude practice with his bow on the archery range. He seemed to be so focused, that he didn’t even seem to notice that she was watching him. He was really good, and Ruby was pretty sure all his arrows were in the inner rings of the target, but it was hard to tell because it was so far away.

Ruby decided that since he hadn’t manned up and told Edegil, she deserved to have a little fun at his expense. She crept quietly to his side, it was surprising that he didn’t hear her, but then again, he was distracted. “Surprise! I’m not dead.” It was probably the most inappropriate way to make her entrance, but the look of shock on his face was totally worth it. Sucker.

“Ruby!” He exclaimed with glee and grabbed her shoulders. “You are alright! Are you sure you should be out here?”

“Pfft, I’m totally fine, Dude.” Ruby brushed off his concern and quickly grabbed one of his knives that were strapped to his back—shooting him her fiercest glare. “But you aren’t going to be.”

“W—what do you mean?” He spluttered and took a step away from her—eyeing the knife in her hand.

“You didn’t tell her!” Ruby shouted angrily. “You said you would, you chicken.” Ruby swung the knife at him—she wasn’t aiming to hurt him, but she was frustrated with him and needed someone to spar, so this was her solution. Get her point across, threaten to hurt him if he ever hurt Edegil, and get out her anger all in one go—she was almost proud of how fucking efficient she was being.

“I was going to, but I just have not gotten around to getting it done yet.” He defended as he drew his other knife and blocked her next attack.

“That is such a lame excuse and you know it!”

“Is not!”

“Is so!”

“Is not!”

“Yes it is times infinity!” Ruby shot her right foot out and landed a hit to the back of the hand that was holding his knife. “Ha!” She cried out triumphantly, but Dude somehow managed to catch the knife with his other hand. Fuck.

“You should not be fighting so soon after you were injured, Ruby.” He blocked another slash, but he wasn’t fast enough to evade the punch she aimed at his chest. “Oof!” He gasped as some air was forced from his lungs.

“Don’t make this about me being stupid, this is about _you_ being stupid!” Ruby was realising now that they had drawn a bit of a crowd. She should have expected as much since they were sparring at the archery range and not in a designated ring. Oops. She would probably have to deal with Glorfindel after this.

“I am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“ _Are too!_ ” Ruby stressed, punctuating her words with a stab at his face only for it to be deflected by his blade. Then, she saw the perfect opening. Ruby dropped the knife in her hand and grabbed his wrist—twisting it so that he released the knife in his grasp. She used her other hand to keep his elbow straight and forced him to his knees. She kept her grip tight enough to keep him down, but not so tight that he was in pain.

“I yield, Ruby.”

“Does that mean you are going to man-up and tell her?”

“Yes!” He cried out as Ruby twisted his arm a little more when he hesitated.

“Good.” She let him go and helped him to his feet. “I don’t think you need me to tall you what happens if you ever break her heart, hmm?”

“No!” He answered a little too quickly and rubbed his shoulder. “You have made your point.” The crowd was beginning to disperse now that the fight was over, and Ruby knew why—there was a golden-haired elf heading in their direction.

“Perfect! I don’t know why you were resisting me so much, we’re friends, I wouldn’t make you do anything that wasn’t in your best interest.” Ruby explained with a gentle smile.

“I suppose.” Dude relented. It seemed that she was finally able to knock some sense not him, even if she had to be a bit harsh to do so.

“I literally died for you, man. You owe me one big time anyways.” Ruby frowned as Glorfindel got closer. “Grow a pair and go tell her.”

“You _what!?_ ”

“Oh, you weren’t supposed to know that…” Ruby winced. “Actually, fuck it! Forget everything I’ve said and go find her. Don’t make me kick your ass again, Dude! Hurry before Glorfindel gets here a rips us both a new one!”

She didn’t need to tell him that twice. The mere mention of an enraged Glorfindel had him sprinting in the other direction. Ruby couldn’t help but smirk at Dude as he disappeared from her sight. Man, that elf could really move when given the correct incentive. She should have just threatened to sic Glorfindel on him in the first place. Speaking of Glorfindel, she heard someone clear their throat from behind her.

“Hey, there.” She turned and greeted the unhappy looking elf.

“What is this spar I have been hearing about at the archery range, Ruby?” Glorfindel drawled, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I don’t see anyone sparring at the archery range, do you?” Ruby raised an eyebrow.

“No, but I have heard that there were several witnesses.”

“And you would believe their word over mine? I am your trusted friend, Glorfindel.” Ruby gave him a pleasant smile, but it seemed to make him more suspicious.

“In this case, I might.”

“I am entirely offended, but you have nothing to worry about.” Ruby grinned. “I do not think anything of the sort will have to happen any time soon.”

“I know that Valin can be a trouble-maker, but I am sure that any unrest could have been resolved peacefully, Ruby.” Glorfindel sighed.

“Trust me, he’ll thank me for it.” Ruby winked and made her way back to her room. She would be needing to talk to Edegil shortly if everything went correctly.

…

Ruby only had to wait for about a half-hour before Edegil came fluttering into the room in a daze. She smirked at her friend’s obvious astonishment. “Are you alright there?”

“Ruby?” Edegil asked. It was as if she hadn’t even realised that she had walked into her room.

“What’s gotten you so flustered?” Ruby knew very well that it was Dude, but she wanted to hear it from her friend.

“Oh, Ruby! The most unexpected thing happened.” Edegil sighed and twirled around with Ruby—much like the time Ruby had danced around with her in the kitchen before she had gone on her date with Erestor. “Valin said that I was the sweetest Elleth he had ever met and that he wishes to court me!”

“Well, c’mon, let’s be honest here, Edegil.” Ruby grinned. “You’re a catch. I’m surprised that more guys aren’t falling head-over-heels for your attention.” Edegil blushed fiercely at the praise and Ruby couldn’t help but shake her head at how cute her friend was.

“There are many beautiful Ellith in Imladris, there is nothing special about me.” She responded.

“Are you joking? The fact that you think that is what makes you so special, Edegil.” Ruby sighed. “You are sweet, kind, and way too humble.”

“I suppose.”

“So, was he nervous?”

“A little, but when I agreed to court him, he gave me the most magnificent smile.” Edegil sighed dreamily. “I just want to be around him all the time.”

“I know what you mean.” Ruby hadn’t seen Erestor for most of the day and she was itching to go to the library and bother him. She wanted to see him scowl at her for interrupting his work, she wanted him to keep giving her those little touches, she wanted him to swipe his papers off the desk and throw her onto it. Fuck, that escalated quickly. Ruby shook her head to try and clear that thought from her mind, but she wasn’t very successful. Ugh.

“I believe that dinner shall be commencing shortly, shall we make our way to the dining hall, Ruby?” Edegil asked, dragging Ruby from her thoughts.

“Uh…yeah. Dinner, right.” She cleared her throat and nodded.

Edegil gave her a bit of a strange look but seemed to shrug it off. Ruby followed her out of her room, and they made their way to the dining hall. Edegil talking about Dude the whole way there. Ruby couldn’t help but grin, her friends were going to be so happy with each other and they had her to thank. They’d better name one of their kids after her after all the hard work she had put into this.


	22. Chapter 22

Ruby and Edegil parted ways once they entered the dining hall—Ruby sitting in her usual spot. The other seats at the table were already filled and Ruby made a concious effort not to look at Erestor. Her mind was still reeling from the interesting direction her thoughts had taken earlier. She could only hope that her face didn’t look as warm as it felt.

Ruby filled her plate with some food and began to nibble on a roll. The conversation between the elves around her seemed to flow easily enough and Ruby found herself listening half-heartedly. Her lack of attentiveness was due to Erestor’s foot brushing against her own under the table. If she hadn’t been so flustered by her dirty thoughts, she might have entertained the idea of playing footsie with him. Ruby had been so distracted, his voice startled her into making eye contact.

“I believe that this belongs to you.” He slid a small piece of paper across the table and Ruby glanced down at it with a raised eyebrow. She flipped it over and felt her cheeks warm—it was one of her drawings of him. Well, that was embarrassing. He probably knew that she was creepily watching him in the library so that she could perfectly recreate his face.

“That might belong to me.” Where had he even found one? Ruby kept all her drawings in a drawer in her room. She cleared her throat awkwardly and tucked the paper up her sleeve because she had no pockets. Apparently, she hadn’t been fast enough because Celebrìan caught a glimpse and decided to comment on it.

“That is very good, Ruby. You are quite talented.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t really say that.”

“Why not?” Glorfindel asked. “That is a well-drawn portrait.”

“Thanks, but…” She trailed off not really wanting to finish.

“What is it, Ruby?” Erestor asked.

“I can only draw Erestor.” She grumbled, her face becoming crimson.

“Pardon?” Glorfindel looked at her baffled. “What do you mean you can only draw Erestor?”

“I had no drawing skills when I got here, and I took it up as a hobby and I only practised drawing Erestor so he is the only thing I can draw!” Ruby explained in a rush.

“Oh.” Erestor said a bit surprised.

“What did you think I was doing when I went to the library? It’s not like I can read any of your books because their all written in squiggles!” Ruby had to admit that she was being a bit defensive, but she was uncomfortable, so she was acting out. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be so snappy, but I didn’t want you to think that I was a creep.”

“I do not think you are a ‘creep.’” Erestor smiled at her. “I am quite flattered that you decided my face was worthy to draw.” Ruby blushed even more if that was even possible.

“No, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be flattered when someone decides to be creepy.” Ruby frowned.

“I suppose I could be offended by this information if that is what you wish.” He smirked at her and Ruby felt her stomach flip.

“Nope.” She objected. “I think being flattered is fine.”

“If you insist.”

The dinner wrapped up shortly after and Ruby found herself wandering towards the library. She was hesitant to follow Erestor there after her secret had gotten out, but she found herself being drawn there anyways. It was pathetic and sad but Ruby just wanted to be around him all the time. She, however, decided against bringing her sketching materials this time.

When she arrived, a familiar head of chocolate-brown hair could be seen sitting at a table in the back corner of the library. Instead of going to her usual vantage point, Ruby sat directly across from the elf. If he was surprised by her presence, Erestor didn’t show it.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He drawled as he wrote some squiggles on a piece of parchment.

“Do you not like my company?” Ruby teased, but Erestor’s head shot up almost alarmed.

“I love your company.” Erestor stated firmly as if he dared her to argue. “I just find it strange that you are not where you usually are.” His eyes flicking to her normal vantage point.

“I was thinking that there was no more reason for me to hide.” Ruby shrugged. It also meant that she could be closer to him so there really wasn’t a downside. “I was also thinking that we need to talk.”

“I believe you are correct.” Erestor sighed. He tucked his papers to one side and gave her his full, undivided attention.

“Uh…?” Ruby didn’t know where to start. There were so many things the she needed to ask about, but as she stared into his eyes, the questions seemed to disappear like keys to her apartment which she always misplaced. “…What are we exactly?” Ugh. Had she really just asked that?

“I am afraid that I do not understand.” Erestor frowned at her.

“I mean, we have established that we love each other, but what does that make us?” She expanded. Ruby had no idea if elves did the whole ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ thing.

“Elves determine their affection for one another through courtship and then they are betrothed by an exchange of silver rings.” Erestor stated the information like an emotionless robot and Ruby couldn’t help but smile. Typical Erestor. “Betrothal lasts for at least a year and the marriage takes place after a blessing and an exchange of gold rings.”

“Marriage.” Ruby stated slightly shell-shocked. Was this Erestor’s way of telling her that he wanted to marry her? Ruby had never really thought about marriage all too much, but if it was to Erestor, that could be something worth looking into.

“Yes, the binding of two people through bodily union.” _Wait, what?_

“Hold on a second, are you talking like after the marriage? Like a honeymoon thing?”

“No.” Erestor gave her a strange look—he probably didn’t know what a honeymoon was. “For elves, the union completes the marriage.”

“Whoa, so like, sex is a big commitment for you.” Ruby leaned backwards so that she rested against the back of the chair. Suddenly, it made so much more sense why Glorfindel had freaked out about seeing her breasts. Glorfindel wasn’t married as far as she could tell, which meant that the ancient elf was a virgin—that is of course, if she was understanding this correctly. It also meant that _Erestor_ was a virgin as well. “Have you ever had sex before?”

“No.” He seemed almost taken aback by her question. “I am not married, therefore I have not.”

“Um…I have a somewhat awkward question.” Ruby shifted in her seat. “If—hypothetically, of course—I had intercourse with several different people, would I be considered married?”

“No, you are an Edain. At least, you were one.” Erestor’s cheeks went pink. “I do not believe such actions could be considered marriage unless you did them after your spirit was changed.”

“Good.” Ruby sighed before leaning forward to look deep into his eyes. “I have to ask, in all your years of living, have you ever been curious about what it’s like?” Erestor’s ears turned red and he dropped his gaze to the table—suddenly finding it very interesting.

“I do not think that this place is suitable for such a conversation.” He said after clearing his throat. “Perhaps we could continue this discussion elsewhere?”

“Okay, lead the way.” Ruby didn’t see why talking about this in the library would be a problem. It’s not like the place was filled with elves—she was pretty sure they were the only ones here. Elves did, however, have excellent hearing, so maybe that was what he was worried about.

Erestor grabbed the papers off of the table and offered Ruby his empty arm, which she gladly accepted. They then began heading in the direction of…Glorfindel’s room? Where the hell were they going? They came to a halt at the door across from Glorfindel’s. Was this his room? Ruby had never figured out which room belonged to the chocolate-haired elf, he was always working late and seemed to live in the library. Ruby had almost been certain that he didn’t sleep at all.

“Is this your room?” She asked quietly. For some reason, the quiet hall made it seem like they were sneaking around and Ruby loved the thrill of it.

“Yes.” He stated and looked at her with an amused sort of curiosity. “You did not know?”

“No.” Ruby scowled at him as he chuckled softly. She strode into the room when Erestor held the door open for her and her eyes immediately fell onto the origami lily that rested on his bedside table. He had kept that? Ruby felt her heart jump into her throat and she swallowed hard.

She hadn’t really thought about her mother in a long time, but she was surprised that the thoughts that had sprung into her mind didn’t arrive with a feeling of guilt or sadness. They were the happy memories of when she had given her mother those stupid little paper flowers for mothers day. Ruby thought about the way her mother’s smile had lit up her face and the warmth of the hug that followed.

“Are you alright?” Erestor asked from behind her. Ruby had almost forgotten that he had been there in the first place.

“Yeah, I’m good.” She actually meant it, much to her own surprise. Ruby actually felt good. “So _this_ is your lair. This is where you hide when you aren’t in the library or the garden.”

“I suppose.” He scowled at her use of the word ‘lair.’ Ruby looked at the delicate curve of his lips and suppressed a shudder. What she wouldn’t give to feel those lips on her skin—trailing kisses down her neck.

“Uh,” She shook her head a bit and tried to focus. “I believe I asked you about if you ever wondered what sex was like.” She felt herself smirk slightly as his cheeks reddened.

“There are many books that contain knowledge about the pleasures of the body.” Erestor stated and Ruby noted that he never actually answered the question. She also took note that that meant the elves had dirty books and had been holding out on her. Rude and absolutely unacceptable.

“But have you ever wondered what it would be like?” Ruby asked and stalked forward like a predator cornering its prey. “What it would be like to caress someone’s bare skin? What it would be like to hold someone’s body so close that you can’t figure out what limbs are theirs?” Her chest was literally an inch away from his and Ruby could hear him swallow as he looked down into her eyes. Ruby let her hands ghost over his shoulders and down his arms.

“Yes.” He admitted. The word leaving his mouth in a whisper.

“Do you think of anyone in particular?” Ruby took a step back and watched him scowl at her. It was just too much fun to tease him, she just couldn’t help it.

“Ruby.” He sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well I should hope it was me, you did say you loved me after all.” She grinned at him cheekily, knowing full and well that he had not intended to answer her question.

“Ruby.” He stated again. “I believe we should discuss the differences in our cultures. I am aware that our traditions vary, and I wish to know about yours.” Ruby smiled at him as she sat down on the end of his bed and patted the spot next to her—grinning innocently. He gave her a look that told her that he could see right through the façade.

“What? I’m not going to bite…unless you want me too, that is.” She winked. Erestor sighed and sat next to her rigidly—his perfect posture making Ruby want to push him over. “Where I’m from, people date quite a bit. Many don’t want to make the commitment of marriage, so they just sleep around. Those who do want to get married get engaged—one offers their partner a ring and if they accept, they plan for their wedding. The wedding ceremony varies for different cultures, but they have to sign a legal document for the marriage to be considered complete. Afterwards, there is of course, consummation.”

“Does this engagement happen for a duration of time?” He asked.

“It can if they are planning on having a huge wedding, but you can literally get married in one night—that usually involves being drunk.” Ruby shrugged.

“Would you prefer to proceed with our relationship in the way you are familiar with?” Erestor asked somewhat gently and Ruby felt her heart clench in her chest. Was he really offering to put all his elvish traditions aside for her?

“Erestor I…” Ruby trailed off as she lifted a hand to his face. He leaned into her touch and Ruby’s heart just about exploded. “You would do that for me?”

“There is not a lot that I would not do for you, Ruby.”

“Does that include pranking the twins with me?” Ruby asked with a smile and Erestor shook his head with a laugh.

“I do not have a death wish.”

“C’mon, I need someone to be the lookout.” Ruby nudged his arm. “I can never hear them coming, even with these new pointy ears. What’s the point of these things if I can’t even hear better?” Erestor slowly leaned forward and gently kissed the tip of her right ear causing Ruby to shiver violently at the new sensation.

“Apparently they are not completely pointless.” He smirked at her. Did he just… did he just make a joke? Man, if Ruby wasn’t already in love with this fool, she would be now.

“I _so_ knew you had a sense of humour!” Ruby grinned. “And since when are you so forward?” She had been the one to tease him and it seemed insane that he—the virgin elf—would be bold enough to tease her back.

“Since I wasted so much time and almost lost you.”

“You do realise I’m immortal now, right? You don’t have to rush anything.”

“You wish for me to stop?” He ran a hand through her hair and Ruby felt tingles shoot down her spine.

“Well, I didn’t say _that_ exactly.” Ruby grinned and kissed him with a fiery passion that even _she_ didn’t know she had.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is kind of an Epilogue. I didn't really know where to go with this story anymore and I am getting pretty busy, so I felt the need to give this story a satisfactory ending and not just abandon it. Maybe in the future, I'll continue it, but for now, this is the end. I have had a great time writing this and I appreciate everyone who has commented, left kudos, and helped me fix anything. Thank you guys! :)

No, they did not have sex—though it wasn’t because Ruby hadn’t wanted too. Fuck, she really did, but it wouldn’t be fair to make him abandon all his traditions for her. Ruby had agreed that they would proceed with their relationship the elvish way and the smile Erestor gave her was totally worth it.

He had even surprised her by proposing to her instead of exchanging silver rings and Ruby loved that he had found a way to combine their different traditions. As an elf, he managed to put off proposing for half a year and Ruby had to endure a year of abstinence during their betrothal, which was frustrating as hell. By the time the day of their marriage had arrived, she was literally ready to pounce on the chocolate-haired elf.

The sex was fucking amazing and Ruby had horrifically scarred Glorfindel with her moaning—in her defence, it was hardly her fault his room was across the hall from Erestor’s. Apparently, elves usually made love somewhat quietly and Ruby had startled quite a lot of people. Oops.

Edegil and Valin did eventually get together and they had an adorable little girl that they named Wilwarin, much to Ruby’s surprise. Ruby and Erestor also had children. Their firstborn was a boy and Ruby named him Joe—Erestor eventually came around since it was Joe who had traded his fate with Ruby. Their next child was a girl who Erestor got to name. He chose to call her Norgaladel, which was probably about as elvish and difficult to pronounce as names could get. Rub eventually came around, once she could pronounce it properly.

Ruby was still a guard. She had actually gotten really good at sword fighting after about fifty years. She had also taught the elves hand to hand combat and the twins had become great warriors. Ruby still played pranks with them every so often much to every resident in Rivendell’s irritation.

Ruby had a girls’ night with Edegil and Celebrìan every now and then and they would complain about their husbands and children over wine. Sometimes, Glorfindel would join them and Ruby would attempt to get him drunk. Even after a couple hundred years, she had yet to be successful.

Ruby loved her life and she loved her family and friends. She loved Erestor even if he still tried to work too hard sometimes. If she had to do it all over again, Ruby was sure that she wouldn’t change a fucking thing.

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm doing my best, but any input or criticisms are appreciated!


End file.
